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The interior of the facility is nearly complete. The biggest remaining hurdle is paving the parking area. As the weather turns warmer as March approaches, Franklin said he expects the lot to be completed in the next few weeks.
“Nobody wants it up and running more than I do,’’ he said. “It’s not as fast as I would like it to be, but it is what it is.”
The project broke ground last June. In October, Franklin’s co-partner Kirk Bamford told The Daily Voice that he expected to open the facility in two months. But Hurricane Sandy caused delays, and a harsh winter slowed progress even more. “It has been longer than we thought,’’ Franklin said. “We had Sandy, and then we just had the snowstorm last week. Those things have hurt us.”
The dome went up around the holidays near the end of 2012. Four Astroturf fields are now in place, and a four-lane track should be installed this week. Offices, arcades, dining facilities and meeting rooms are nearly complete. Lights were being installed last week.
The field is the largest of its type in North America, Franklin said. It can accommodate full-size games for soccer, lacrosse and football. The dome can also accommodate up to eight teams on four fields of reduced size or two Little League-size baseball diamonds. The dome covers 120,000 square feet of space and is 90 feet high at its highest point.
“We have a lot of teams that are anxious to get here use it,’’ Franklin said. “Teams in Bethel can’t wait, teams from Danbury can’t wait.”
Some programs have already been scheduled, including soccer programs, an Arena Football League and a Kids Expo in May, according to the facility website.
“We’re waiting for the weather to break so that we can get the parking lot in,’’ Franklin said. “We know people are anxious to come use it.”
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