Sudbury indoor sports dome gets $4M from province

A multi-useindoor sports dome in honour of a late Sudbury city councilloris getting a $4 million funding boost from the provincial budget.

The Fabio Belli Foundation has been campaigning for the year-round facility for several years. The foundation, which promotes health and wellness in the community, was created following the city councillor's sudden death in 2014.

"He would be speechless. He would be so excited," Belli's wife Susan said at the funding announcement.

"Soccer was his passion, and hockey, but he loved all sports. And every time we did go down south, we'd look at different multi-use facilities, because they can house so many different sports."

Goal to open in 2019

Sudbury Liberal MPP Glenn Thibeault announced the funding on Thursday, a week after posting an open letter to Facebook stating his support for the project.

"This is something I was very passionate about, to help the Fabio Belli Foundation help get this project done and underway. And looking at what the community wants and what the community needs, is this type of facility," Thibeault said at the announcement.

The dome is set to be built behind Lasalle Secondary School, with the Rainbow District School board acting as a partner.

Although the school board still needs to give final approval, Director of Education Norm Blaseg said there were already plans to put in artificial turf on the site, as part of a project to renovate the high school and build a new elementary school.

"I think ambitiously we'd like to start operating the facility in early 2019," said Michel Larivire, a board member with the Fabio Belli Foundation.

Larivire said the total cost of the dome will depend on "how many bells and whistles" they want to include. He added that the money from the province will help get things started.

"From there obviously there will be some cost associated with user groups who are making use of it. That money helps fund and run the place."

Room for two?

The Fabio Belli Foundation isn't the only group pursuing an indoor sports dome. The Sudbury District Sports Club told CBC News it has $3 million dollars in funding from a private company for its own facility.

Larivire isn't concerned about another potential dome, and said there's room for two such facilities in the community.

"I think once one is built, we're going to have user groups that we don't even know about yet who will want to participate and be part of it."