New Calhoun sports complex proposed for Decatur

Decatur City Hall with flags in front in downtown Decatur, Alabama, where the council will consider a Calhoun sports complex — Decatur City Council meets the first and third Mondays of each month. (Ben Johnson / Hville Blast)

The Decatur City Council will vote Monday, March 23, on whether to pursue a deal to relocate Calhoun Community College’s baseball and softball fields to a site near 10th Avenue in Northeast Decatur, close to the Alabama Farmers Cooperative.

The proposed cost to the city for the Calhoun sports complex is up to $3 million to acquire the property, move utilities and prepare the site, according to a city news release.

A primary goal of the project is to create “a more accessible venue for student-athletes and attract residents and visitors to the area for games and events,” it states.

“This has the potential to bring new life to Northeast Decatur while supporting Calhoun’s continued growth.”
_{Decatur Mayor Kent Lawrence}

If the council approves the resolution, Decatur Mayor Kent Lawrence will negotiate an agreement with the Alabama Community College System and Decatur Utilities.

Calhoun’s ongoing growth + recent developments

Looking north from Second Avenue in Downtown Decatur, Alabama with streetlight flags and building facades — Calhoun has invested heavily in downtown Decatur projects since partnering with Athens State to open the Alabama Center for the Arts in 2012. (Ben Johnson / Hville Blast)

While the sports complex is in the early proposal stage, many Calhoun-related construction projects have expanded the college’s footprint in Decatur:

A $17 million Student Union building is now under construction on the main campus across the river near Tanner.
In 2025, the college opened the STEAM Imagination Center downtown for arts and STEM career readiness after a $5 million renovation to the former Eyster Key building on Moulton Street.
In 2024, Calhoun and Athens State University opened a student residence hall for the Alabama Center for the Arts, a partnership between the two institutions located in Downtown Decatur on Second Avenue.
Also in 2024, the college broke ground on a $15 million Alabama Center for the Arts Academy for Music and Movement, also on Moulton Street downtown.

What’s next for the sports complex: If the council votes to move forward with negotiating to produce a formal agreement with the Alabama Community College System, that proposal will come back before the council for approval before design plans and construction timelines are set.

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