EAST HARTFORD, Ct. – The Mayor of East Hartford, Ct., is pushing for the town to build a $10 million “sports bubble.”
As reported by The Hartford Courant, Mayor Michael Walsh’s plan includes a 60,000-square-foot fieldhouse with multi-purpose courts, weight training areas, and a walking track, among other amenities.
According to the article, the project would be the smallest of three possible sports complex construction projects in the Greater Hartford Area. The Day Dome in nearby Windsor will be 95,000 square feet, while another proposed sports complex in Enfield would have a 140,000-square-foot building with 10 soccer fields.
During a recent town council meeting, Walsh said the project would support nearly 7,000 local youth who, according to him, have to leave the community to play sports due to a lack of current facilities.
Developer Vincent DiCarlo was quoted in the article as stating there is “nothing” available in Hartford for sports tournaments, and often players and their families need to go out of state.
The Courant reported Walsh wants council members to vote in August to send the idea to a referendum in November.
In the meantime, he is hopeful conceptual drawings can be commissioned to show how the complex would look in several proposed locations.
