Romeoville Athletic and Events Center opens

ROMEOVILLE – It’s intended to be the catalyst for future development in the village of Romeoville.

Built on the rubble of the old ACE hardware store, the 76,792-square-foot Athletic and Events Center on 55 Phelps Ave. officially opens Monday.

“It has been very successful already. We have two outlets approved,” Mayor John Noak said, adding several vendors have expressed interest in the area around the center and Uptown Square.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the center is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday. But it has already been an active playground for sports, with the basketball and volleyball courts, as well as the soccer fields open.

Noak said it will be a multi-use facility that can host special events from dinners, big-issue rallies, unique vendors and sporting events.

The first major use is set for April 25, when some of the best high school boys and girls athletes and youth teams in the country will come to the center and compete for the attention of top college coaches in the NIKE Spring Showdown.

The NCAA-certified tournament in the past has attracted top high school players, including the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis and Duke’s Jabari Parker.

“It’s very exciting for us,” Noak said. “Activities are happening and booked even before the formal opening.”

The building was budgeted to cost $10.9 million, with funds coming from a tax increment financing district. But village officials are optimistic that the final cost of the project, which won’t be determined until the building is fully complete, will come at or below budget.

The first floor of the center includes indoor soccer fields that can be converted into six portable basketball courts. During the colder months, the soccer fields will be available. In the spring and summer when soccer moves outside, the basketball courts will take over.

Two more basketball courts fill an alternate section of the center and a mezzanine holds room for concessions, seating and multipurpose rooms.

The center will host youth soccer, lacrosse, softball, baseball, football and basketball games.

Organizations that will use the facility include the Chicagoland Indoor Soccer Program, AAU basketball team Illinois Runnin’ Rebels, Top Tier Baseball, Full Package Athletics Inc., Under-Armour Athletic Group and the Junior Lions Volleyball Club.

The Filipino American Basketball Association of Illinois is already playing games on the courts.

Something needed

“The village board and staff had a desire to redevelop what was once known as Spartan Square,” Assistant Village Manager Dawn Caldwell said. “We wanted something that was attractive, provided space for community events and included something that would attract visitors to this area.”

After reviewing several options, the village board and staff, partnering with Hitchcock Design Group and the Downtown Redevelopment Commission, realized the area could not be developed into a traditional shopping center, Caldwell said.

The village found there was a need for something that would attract people to the area, becoming a catalyst for development of existing and new businesses. As plans evolved, the village also found the facility to be valuable as a community center while also providing space for athletic groups.

Romeoville outsources management to Indoor Sports Management Group LLC, which will pay more than $130,000 in fees during the next five years and share revenue with the village.

Outsourcing brings in professional experience and keeps the building on tax rolls, which contributes money back into the tax increment financing district fund.

It also emphasizes the public-private partnership that Noak said is valuable in the village.

Uptown design

The Romeoville board also wanted the design of the center to mesh with future retail growth in the area.

The building has a collegiate and athletic center look, according to Daniel Atilano, the principal project manager for Dewberry Architects.

“The idea of the [village] was to develop the area with a civic approach,” Atilano said. “So it has a high-quality brick facade, arches. We tried to add some of that retail aspect as well. That was the intention.”

Atilano said the architects were concerned about the sight of a towering structure casting a shadow on future stores.

The highest points of the structure were directed to the back end of the building.

The high ceiling soccer field was pushed back in the building, and traditional rooftop units are behind the soccer enclosure to be concealed from outside view.

Dewberry also designed the village hall and police building in Romeoville.

With the ribbon cutting Monday, the whole facility, including the mezzanine, will be open for public use.

An open house will also be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the public to enjoy the facility and activities at the center.

“It really already has become a catalyst,” Noak said.

OUTBOX

Facts and Features at the Athletic and Events Center
• An indoor turf and 190 x 170 foot soccer field
• Six portable basketball courts for summer months
• Houses the Filipino American Basketball Association of Illinois
• Hosts the NIKE Spring Showdown basketball tournament