The bubble, also known as the soon-to-be Muscatine Sports Center, is currently in construction on Muscatine’s soccer practice fields. Besides being one of the few “bubble” recreational places nearby, the sports center is already making its mark. Our very own mayor, Brad Bark, remarked that it will be the largest inflatable sports dome in Iowa. The construction site on Houser Street was showcased during a ceremony on October 10th that was open to the public.
The project has been in the works for a lengthy amount of time. The first concept came together in 2012 after a group of citizens wanted a recreational space for sports that could be used year-round.
The idea was discussed but was swept aside as other similar recreation centers were built nearby. Finally, two years ago, the idea was brought up again and a study was conducted on the center’s impact on Muscatine citizens. The results showed that our community would benefit from an indoor sports and activities center.
Other cities in Iowa have built their own. In Burlington, there is the Fun City turf across from the soccer/baseball fields. The inflated building has one full-sized soccer/softball field that can be split up into smaller fields. Inside, there are bathrooms and concession stands.
Located in Bettendorf, the Tbk Bank and Trust turf has room for two full-sized fields. The rest of the building has spaces for other physical activities, such as the basketball courts and a full-sized gym. Visitors can head to the bowling alley or arcade when sports or training gets boring. In case one gets hungry with all there is to do, there is a sports bar, restaurant, and concession area. Lastly, there are conference rooms for any type of meeting.
Muscatines’ planned sports center will take a simpler approach, yet it will be functional and fitting for our little town. The bubble will have two full-sized turf fields that can be used for a variety of sports throughout all seasons. There will also be concessions and bathrooms.
The main concern that pushes the need for the bubble is athletes being able to play games throughout the winter. The bubble removes the limits set on seasonal sports and gives opportunities for more time to play for athletes. Sports that run throughout the months before and after winter have constant issues with weather and scheduling. The indoor turf will eliminate weather issues and bring more opportunities to play. Compared to playing outside, the Muscatine Sports Center will provide a more comfortable environment for athletes to play and practice in.
A separate issue that arose from the lack of an indoor space to play was the long commutes to other places to play. The Betplex is about a 35-minute drive away from Muscatine. The Burlington bubble is an hour-long drive away from Muscatine. For parents and athletes, these long commutes pose the issues of money spent on gas, money spent on food, and time spent on traveling.
Besides the advantages for athletes, the building will also support local businesses. It will be powered by Muscatine power and water and will also be a part of their “going green” program, meaning the entire building will be powered by 100% energy from renewable sources. Members of the team that made this happen also speculate it will be productive for the local economy.
Going back to advantages for our community, other people commuting to Muscatine boost the economy. For tournaments, guest teams may try to stay in a hotel or rent a place to stay. Even when they decide against staying the night they may decide to stay after the games, get something to eat, or even explore businesses throughout town.
The main positive thing about our very own Sports Center is convenience. Most parents or players don’t want to drive upwards of an hour solely traveling for a sport. Out-of-town games and tournaments cause everyone to schedule their entire day around what time to start getting ready and what time to leave. Even if everything goes on schedule with traveling, going to unfamiliar fields can be easily confusing and may cause delays to the entire schedule.
Finally, having a place to play and practice indoors is convenient. Instead of layering up to play when it’s cold outside, athletes can easily move their game or practice inside the bubble. Instead of spending the entire day commuting to only play one game, they can utilize their time and only worry about their game when it comes time to sub from the bench. Each player gets to play comfortably, in a familiar and comfortable area.
Overall, the bubble will be very beneficial for the whole community. Regardless if people are athletes or not, anyone will be able to use the bubble for fun activities.
