EDWARDSVILLE - The City of Edwardsville has begun construction of The Courthouse 618 at Plummer Family Park.
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On Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, community leaders gathered at Plummer Family Park for a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the construction of The Courthouse 618, an indoor recreational facility that will be located within the park. The 50,000-square-foot facility will host the Parks & Recreation Department’s youth and adult basketball leagues with five high school regulation-size basketball courts that can transition into nine volleyball courts.
“This is a community project. It’s a family project. It’s an investment in the community, in our youth,” said Mark Thomas, owner of Courthouse 618 LLC, whose vision led to the facility. “We’re celebrating this groundbreaking, but the job is not done. There’s still work to do. We’ve still got to get this building up. We’ve still got to fill this building with people, and I’m looking forward to that challenge and adventure.”
Thomas, a former Edwardsville High School basketball player, noted that he has spoken to many coaches and families about their needs in the community. Most of these people have told him that they need space for practices and tournaments. Thomas also plans to bring a Shoot 360 franchise, a data-driven basketball training program, to Edwardsville through The Courthouse 618.
Thomas began the work of conceptualizing The Courthouse 618 in October 2024. In April 2025, the City announced their plans to pursue the project. With the groundbreaking ceremony complete, they hope the facility will be operational by Fall 2026.
“Courthouse 618 heralds a wonderful new chapter of Plummer Family Park and the city for athletes of all ages, for families, and particularly for the man who had this grand idea along with the skills and determination to make it happen,” said James Arnold,
Edwardsville’s Economic and Community Development Director. “This project is promising from an economic standpoint and from a community perspective. Plummer Family Park is drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Under the direction of our mayor and city council, we are answering a call for wonderful, healthy and unique opportunities to stay and play in Edwardsville.”
Thomas’s company, Courthouse 618 LLC, will facilitate funding for The Courthouse 618 construction, while the City of Edwardsville has leased the land to the company and will create 200 public parking spaces adjacent to the building. This collaboration is key to the project’s success.
Thomas, Arnold and Mayor Art Risavy thanked the city leaders for their support of this project. They expressed their excitement to see The Courthouse 618 come to life.
“With any project, there's always a moment,” Risavy added. “Let’s call it a seed that gets planted, that perseveres beyond the doubts, pushes through beyond the setbacks, grows strong despite the naysayers. It’s a vision of what could be. It’s a dream that just won’t go away but instead gets bigger, clearer and sharply defined in your mind. Edwardsville is a community that has absolutely bloomed and blossomed from that kind of hope, confidence and perseverance…Fortunately for the city, Mark was determined to turn that vision into reality, and we are here today watching his dream, The Courthouse 618, begin to take shape.”
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