RANTOUL — Mayor Chuck Smith said he hopes to bring to the village board in May or June a proposal to consider construction of a dome at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex.
Built in 2021, the complex features outdoor fields, among them soccer, baseball/softball and football.
Smith said the complex, funded by grants, sponsorships and donations, has been a success.
“We’re booked solid for the next three to four years,” he said.
He said the complex is “holding its own,” with the goal for it to create an economic impact for the village and the rest of Champaign County.
Smith said he has “talked extensively” with Village Administrator Scott Eisenhauer, Operations Director Ryan Reid and Recreation Director Luke Humphrey about adding a dome to be able to host events during colder months.
“They have concerns that we might not be able to do it,” Smith said. “They have concerns about the risks.”
Reid said the village is “not actively pursuing an indoor space, but we’re not saying that we don’t want it either.”
“We just know that the model we have now is working,” he said. “We saw 1.2 million visitors in 2023 and believe we had pretty much the same in 2024,” although those figures are not yet available. “Right now, we have a (20-year) bond to pay off.”
Eisenhauer said including a dome was part of the discussions for the complex from the outset.
“It was decided at the time that we wanted to focus solely on the outdoor complex and make sure that it was successful before we looked any further down the road,” he said.
He said officials began looking at what opportunities would exist for building an indoor facility about a year ago.
Initial designs have been created based on input from potential users on what they would like to see included.
“All of that being said, I also have been very clear that any construction of an indoor space would have to be privately funded,” Eisenhauer said.
The village has approached potential sponsors about funding an indoor facility.
Only at the point of receiving sponsorship, Eisenuauer said, would the proposal to build the dome be brought to the village board.
“Yes, there is a desire and a need for an indoor facility,” he said. “Yes, we have initial designs for an indoor facility, but only upon securing a private funding source would we move forward with construction.”
Eisenhauer said he believes there are entities that are interested in sponsorship.
“Certainly with the exposure that the outdoor complex brings to the community of over 1 million visitors and 30,000 cars daily going past our exit, those exposures are attractive to a national brand,” he said.
Reid said the complex is currently operating slightly in the black. Any money on the plus side is used for maintenance and saved for projects such as turf repair.
He said the village has had inquiries from teams who play there about building an indoor facility.
Champaign County, Reid said, is an attractive destination — a place where people will travel for indoor sports.
Possibilities for a dome range from indoor baseball to soccer, gymnastics, wrestling, cornhole, table tennis, judo and karate.
“One good thing … we’re in the middle of everything in Champaign County,” he said. “We’re two to two-and-a-half hours away from three major cities (Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis). There’s the interstate, a regional airport and Amtrak.
“I think a lot of youth recognize us as a major sports driver because of IHSA basketball, the marathon and U of I sports.”
Smith said, if built, the dome would be located on the southwest side of the complex, “highly visible from” Interstate 57.
He said the village would have to extend Broadmeadow Road to the dome but will have to do that anyway to accommodate hoped-for hotel growth.
“At present, Marriott is going to put some type of hotel here, and they will bring a nationally known restaurant with them,” Smith said.
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