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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With a little around four months from when construction should officially get underway on the City of Charleston’s new Capital Sports Complex, committees are currently meeting to discuss some changes regarding the future facility as well as ways to make it more environmentally-sustainable.
Nancy Bruns, a member of the Capital Sports Complex Development Association Committee met with Charleston’s Green Team Wednesday to hear proposals from the team about changes that would help with sustainability at the complex.
She said after the former Macy’s building at the Charleston Town Center Mall came down recently– the location the new facility will be built on– the committee has been working with architects and engineers from ZMM and the future complex’s management companies on a final design.
Bruns also addressed some major changes the facility’s committee has decided on moving forward.
She said a major update is that the actual name of the facility may be subject to change.
“On a branding committee we had a call yesterday about that, it’s probably not going to be called the Capital Sports Center because there’s many other of those in the country and we want to make sure we have a unique name,” Bruns said addressing the Green Team.
Another major change Bruns said is that the facility will no longer include a swimming pool after the parking garage that was going to be torn down to install that portion of the facility couldn’t be acquired through bond holders.
In addition, she said the committee found it to not be as feasible for the installation of a pool.
“So swimming, while everybody wants it and there’s a lot of feedback about that, it’s never a money maker, it’s always a money loser,” she said.
However, the over 200,000 square foot complex is still expected to include all of its other original features in the plan, such as a fitness center, a gymnasium, pickleball and volleyball courts, and a family entertainment center.
One of the features Bruns said the facility will also include is a café and restaurant area. She suggested to the Green Team about the need to make the to-go containers in the restaurant compostable as well as other alternatives for plastic bottles.
“Maybe have water dispensers instead of water bottles, have water fountains to fill up permanent water bottles around the center instead of, you know, selling water bottles,” Bruns suggested.
Councilman Emmett Pepper said the more environmentally-friendly waste at the new facility could serve as an example for the whole city to follow.
“I think there’s a larger issue with city composting to be solved as well, so this could be a really good opportunity or impetus for addressing compost,” Pepper said.
They also discussed more sustainable lighting such as LEDs and the use of natural lighting wherever they can, the use of recycled materials within the flooring and a specific place to park bicycles and electric scooters at the facility.
Bruns said construction on the new facility is expected to start in December and will probably take about two years to finish.
She said she expects the facility to make a major statement in environmental sustainability in general.
“In my mind it could be a great example for the city and for other sports complexes as we’ve made these efforts to make it as green as possible,” Bruns said.
Bruns is currently working out plans with the Green Team to continue to partner with the Complex’s Development Association Committee for further discussions on more sustainable designs and features as the facility starts to become more of a reality.