DETROIT (WWJ) — If you’ve driven along I-94 near Conner on Detroit’s east side recently, you may have noticed a big, white dome.
At roughly 100 feet high, it’s hard to miss. The Chandler Park Fieldhouse Dome is now inflated and work is well underway inside the building to make it into a community hub for sports and recreation.
When it’s finished, the dome will feature a football and soccer field, multiple basketball and volleyball courts, along with a track that will be available for use year-round.
LaJuan Counts with the City's Construction and Demolition Department told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Jon Hewett they’ve been working with residents to get input on what exactly they’d like to see at the dome.
“We don’t create and design in a bubble. It’s very important for us that the residents and the users have the opportunity to give us their input so we can build exactly what it is that they want,” Counts said.
Developer Larry Brinker, Jr., says the project goes beyond the building itself.
“What we do in construction goes beyond just building bricks and buildings like this, it really goes to a point of creating lasting legacies for the community that they can partake in. So we’re really excited to be a part of this project,” Brinker said.
The $14 million project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and the 130,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in June of 2025.