Advocates Pitch Recreational Dome Concept to City

The idea of a domed indoor seasonal recreational facility was brought before the Edina City Council Tuesday night as part of an informational meeting.

The reaction? The city needs to know a lot more.

A group of advocates for the dome met with the city council, city manager and other city officials before the regular council meeting to discuss some specifics, but mostly generalities, on a future domed structure in Edina.

“We are not site specific at this time,” said Shannon Rusk, a spokesperson for the advocates during a presentation. “We do not want it to be paid for by tax dollars.”

Preliminary plans call for the facility to be 108,000 square feet, in a rectangular format with a turf field.

The group has utilized a couple of architectural and engineering consultants and has looked at approximately a half-dozen potential sites in the city. These included next to the , in the Edina Industrial Boulevard area, and by .

The dome would be utilized by youth athletic associations, seniors, adult sports leagues, private events, community education, corporate events and for fundraisers. It would have a walking path for seniors and a climbing wall.

Rusk said the dome would have a positive economic impact, would benefit business as well as the public sector, increase tax revenue and create jobs.

“We believe it meets the growing needs of the residents,” she added.

The projected price tag ranges from $8-11 million dollars, depending on size and amenities. The group estimates it would generate $845,000 in revenue and have an annual operating budget of $290,000.

The funding to design and build it would come from corporate and private sources.

Council Member Joni Bennett said she thinks that the city needs to do an assessment of all of its park and recreational facilities before deciding on whether the dome concept should move forward.

Council Member Josh Sprague agreed, but noted "this is the kind of magnet that gets attention and draws young families to live in Edina."

Mayor Jim Hovland pushed for the Park Board to become involved and to work with the advocates to study the dome idea further, specifically looking at needs, costs and location.

It was also recommended the school district get involved, as the facility would involve some of their programs.

In the end, the council agreed to get the Park Board involved and see what kind of recommendations they could offer.