Facility Friday: Des Moines Junior Hockey Arena, Bashor Field at Snapdragon Stadium

In Des Moines, Iowa, a junior hockey team has broken ground on its future home arena. The 3,500-seat arena for the Buccaneers will take the place of the former Yonkers store at Merle Hay Mall. A ceremony celebrating the project was held in mid-May.  

The development will also include three additional sheets of ice with bleacher seating to host additional games, practices, and tournaments. In addition, a 150-room hotel is planned for the complex. The complex will be able to host regional and national tournaments as well as esports, trade shows and concerts.

“Redevelopment of the west side of the shopping center will transform Merle Hay into a multi-purpose, multi-needs destination both in the Des Moines area as well as the State of Iowa and greater Midwest region,” said Liz Holland, the CEO of Merle Hay Investors, which owns the shopping center.

“OVSE and the Des Moines Buccaneers are excited to join this partnership to provide a much needed venue for the community and Central Iowa. The Buccaneers have been proud members of the Urbandale for more than 40 years and this facility will ensure that the Bucs have a home for years to come,” stated Michael Devlin, Managing Partner of OVSE.

Nate Teut, president of the Des Moines Buccaneers remarked, “We really have seen the need for a new arena especially since the damage of the derecho. A new state of the art facility will continue the growth of ice sports here and provide a championship caliber venue for the Bucs, the community and the region.”

Officials for the team, which plays and trains in an aging arena at Hickman Road and 73rd St. in Urbandale, have said they need a facilities facelift to attract better players. As in other sports, the junior hockey league holds a draft every year. But players can turn down an offer if they don't feel the team is equipped to prepare them for the next level.

The team hopes to move in by next October, the start of the 2023-24 season. — Des Moines Register, Merle Hay Mall 

San Diego State University’s Bashor Field at Snapdragon Stadium is scheduled to open in September.

Designed to meet the needs of the entire San Diego community, the brand new, multi-purpose facility in the heart of Mission Valley will serve as a vibrant, year-round destination as well as the home for the San Diego State University Aztecs Football Team.

Snapdragon Stadium will be the new home of the San Diego State University Aztecs as they kick off their 100th season of football on Sept. 3, 2022.

The 35,000-capacity stadium will serve as the new home of the Aztecs, and will also play host to the San Diego Wave FC (National Women’s Soccer League), San Diego Legion (Major League Rugby), the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship, and many other events across sports and entertainment.

Snapdragon Stadium has passed several construction milestones as the Stadium's foundation and infrastructure are in place — the goal posts and video boards have been installed, along with trees, plants and greenery. The final days of construction will see the installation of the final seat, venue signage, and the stadium turf.

Ninety percent of the former stadium and parking lot was diverted from the landfill and recycled, including 200,000 tons of concrete which is being reused on site by SDSU at the new stadium. Additionally, SDSU has integrated drought-tolerant and native plants prominently into the park design, including but not limited to California Poppy, California Sycamore, California Wild Rose, Coastal Agave, Coast Live Oak, Mohave Yucca, San Diego Sunflower and White Sage. All non-stadium buildings at SDSU Mission Valley will be designed to meet or exceed LEED Silver standards, while Snapdragon Stadium is designed to meet LEED Gold certification.

In addition to stadium classics, Snapdragon Stadium will offer guests a wide variety of food and beverages options including San Diego staples such as The Crack Shack, Hodad’s and The Taco Stand. Along with these local favorites, visitors to Snapdragon Stadium can expect Batch & Box (premium cookies), Best Pizza & Brew, Cali BBQ, Everbowl (superfood bowls), and Gaglione Brothers (cheesesteaks). Additional food and beverage partners will be announced over the course of the next 100 days. 

Premium stadium suites, (West + Field Club, East Club, Founders Club) will feature a different menu designed by Aztec Shop’s custom stadium brand, 386 Hospitality, which manages a diverse portfolio of services including operation of the SDSU Bookstore, SDSU Dining, SDSU Conference Services, SDSU Licensing, and Commercial and Residential Real Estate properties surrounding campus. 

Two years in the making, Southwest Christian High School in Chaska, Minn., will break ground on a new campus athletic facility.

The $17 million, 53,000-square-foot expansion will be attached to the current gym on the school’s campus.

The new facility has the goal of accommodating all sports in the athletics program by providing year-round indoor training. School growth was a factor in expanding the athletic facilities at the high school. Southwest Christian has grown by 145 students in the last five years and by 305 students in the last 10. The school projects a little less than 500 students to attend in 2022-23, with 75% of the students enrolled participating in athletics.

Features of the facility include a larger weight room, sprinting track, indoor turf for multi-sport use, batting cages, additional courts and locker room space and athletic offices.

The facility would allow for multiple sports like boys and girls basketball to play games the same evening and outdoor sports to practice at the school’s campus indoors if there is inclement weather.

With the help of BGW Architects from Ogden, Utah, and RJM Construction out of Golden Valley, Minnesota, the goal is to have the project finished in a year and ready for use in July 2023.

As of December 2021, the school has raised $11.5 million of the $17 million for the facility, with an additional $3 million in planned borrowing and $2.5 million still to raise.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at Southwest Christian high school at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 2.