Page 5 - BusinessWest February 19, 2024

“I’m excited about what this sports complex could mean for the trajectory of our city.”
2023.
“Timing is important,” he told BusinessWest. “When I was asked
to take a look at it again and see what it might look like ... I had a completely different reaction to it.”
In fact, you could say that he took the ball and ran with it, under- taking feasibility studies; engaging Florida-based Sports Facilities Co. (SFC), which has built what Ruiz has in mind for Holyoke in several municipalities around the globe, for an initial concept; and then putting together a team, called the USA International Sports Complex Group, to advance this initiative.
The concept has progressed to the point where Ruiz, Garcia, other city officials, representatives of the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and other officers with USA International Sports Complex Group felt ready to announce the plans to the public.
Which they did, at a well-attended press conference at the Volley- ball Hall of Fame on Feb. 6.
They announced plans for what they called “an Olympic-style sports complex,” one featuring a main indoor athletic facility that would boast everything from basketball and volleyball courts to an arcade area, laser tag, ‘boutique bowling,’ batting cages, pickleball, and more, as well as outdoor athletic facilities to include a synthetic turf field and baseball and softball fields.
These facilities come with a total price tag estimated at between $50 million and $90 million, said Ruiz, adding that, while this will be a privately funded facility, MassDevelopment and other state agencies have been approached about potential involvement.
In an interview prior to that news conference, Ruiz told Busi- nessWest that he wants to make Holyoke the sports capital of New England, and this project will become the vehicle for doing so and, in the process, bring in an estimated $41 million in new economic activity to the city.
‘We want to put Holyoke on the map, starting with volleyball — this will be the new home of the Volleyball Hall of Fame,” he said. “But it will be much more than that; this facility will have several sites and include many different sports venues for people of all ages — young and old — and will also include a hotel.
“It’s a very ambitious initiative,” he went on, adding that it will
Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia says talk of a sports complex has been ongoing in Holyoke for many years.
IN MEMORY OF
JEFFREY E. POINDEXTER
(1969—2024)
It is with deep sadness that Bulkley Richardson announces the passing of Jeffrey E. Poindexter, our trusted colleague and dear friend.
Jeff was a highly regarded litigator, but he was so much more than an attorney.
To us, he was family.
BusinessWest
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