LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The new multimillion-dollar track and field complex in west Louisville is just weeks away from hosting its first event.
The first meet scheduled at the Norton Sports Health and Learning Complex is the University of Louisville Cardinal Invitational on Feb. 17. More NCAA and high school competitions are planned through the end of March.
"It's wonderful, and I'm so excited," Louisville Urban League CEO Sadiqa Reynolds said. "I am so thankful for the support that we've had. I knew we would get here. I knew we would get here. But it has been a very long struggle."
Crews started on the $52 million project in August 2019. It's set to be complete next month before the first meet. The sports and learning complex was announced in 2017 by the Louisville Urban League as part of a revitalization effort for west Louisville. The 24-acre site includes indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as competition areas for jump, vault and throw events.
ASM Global is managing the facility. The company also manages the KFC Yum! Center and Lynn Family Stadium. Eric Granger, the general manager of ASM Global Louisville, said the organization is proud to support and partner with the Urban League on this project.
"We were very interested from the start," Granger said. "Not only in the need for a facility like this but also the impact we think it will have on Louisville. And knowing that there's nothing like this in this part of the country, we knew that it would not be hard to book the space."
The following are the first scheduled events:
- Feb. 17 – University of Louisville Cardinal Invitational
- Feb. 19-21 – KTCCCA College Indoor Invite
- Feb. 27 – Louisville Indoor Games / High School Opener
- March 6-7 – KTCCCA Indoor State Middle and High School Championships
- March 13-14 – KTCCCA Indoor State Middle and High School Championships
- March 20-21 – USATF Kentucky Indoor Master Showcase
The complex will be following all guidelines form the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to host events in the midst of the pandemic. Masks and temperature checks will be required. And maximum capacity inside will be 15%, which is estimated to be 750 people.
The facility was designed to attract local, regional and national track meets, sporting events and even concerts. But it was also made with the community in mind, including space for educational programs. The project also includes an indoor and outdoor track, a bowling alley and a rock climbing wall.
It is expected to help boost the west Louisville economy with thousands of visitors expected for a variety of events. And there is a hope that the complex will attract new developments to west Louisville, including potentially a new hotel near the facility.
"We know that this is going to be something that is really going to be an anchor for some new development in the west end," Granger said.
Granger said new part-time and full-time jobs will be available with the new facility. Details on open positions should be released in the coming weeks.
The $52 million project was financed through a variety of tax credits, individual donations and corporate sponsors. With the final construction push, there's still a need for more financing. Reynolds is hoping local companies will support the community project.
"This is a Black-led, Black-owed and will be the highest Black-spend project ever in Kentucky," Reynolds said. "But I wish that more corporations had stepped up. There's still a need for that. I mean, we're ultimately borrowing the last $10 million to finish it."
The 200-meter indoor track is being built by Mondo Track & Field Flooring, the same company that is building the track surfaces for the Olympics.
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