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ROCKFORD, July 15 — Sportscore Downtown, which “tipped off” construction in April, is about 25 percent complete, and tours offered glimpse of progress on the $24.4 million project today — a beautiful morning along the Rock River in downtown Rockford.
The 105,000-square-foot facility for basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading and other tournaments/activities is expected to open in June 2016.
Congratulations to the City of Rockford, the Rockford Park District, the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Winnebago County Regional Tourism Facility Board and all of the key players for transforming the former Ingersoll building so quickly so far.
By the numbers:
- 8 basketball courts convertible to 16 volleyball courts or wrestling mats … or 42 pickleball courts
- If stacked end to end, there will be 104 miles of hardwood floor planks (equivalent to 378 Willis Towers)
- 10,860,000 pounds of concrete needed (equivalent to 27 adult blue whales)
- 523 parking spaces
- 450 “events” available for the facility, per marketing analysis, that would draw 235,000 visitors in year own and growing to 306,000 in year five
- 10-12 tournaments per year projected in year one, growing to 30+ in year five
- 200 construction jobs created and 225 permanent FTE jobs upon opening (combined with Sportscore Two development)
- $1.9 million generated annually from new tax revenue and $16.5 million annual of new private sector economic activity (combined with Sportscore Two improvements)
Other fun facts:
- Enclosed eating area will boast the only full 180-degree view of the riverfront in the Rockford area
- Site was once home to the historic former Rockford Watch Factory (1874), the original Rockford High School (1885) and Ingerolls Machine Tools (1984).
Facebook photo gallery here
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