December 21, 2006
Institutional Reno
Set to hold court in old air hanger
TORONTO
A team of Toronto sports celebrities is partnering to transform an old airplane hangar at the former Downsview air base into the HoopDome, a 42,000-square-foot indoor basketball complex.
HoopDome is the dream of Ted Badner, a Toronto high school basketball coach who believes that better access to quality court space is needed for players of all ages.
HOOPDOME
Three mini-court “cages” will be available for pick-up games year-round
Badner has secured the financial backing from a team of investors that includes the likes of Glen Grunwald, former Toronto Raptor general manager and current senior vice-president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks, Raptors radio announcer Paul Jones, and former Toronto Maple Leaf Nick Kypreos.
HoopDome will be the first, multi-court, basketball-only complex in Canada.
While basketball is the fastest growing sport in Canada and the most popular sport in schools across the greater Toronto area, court space is rare. The project is being undertaken at an estimated cost of $1 million by a team that includes architects Sirlin Giller & Malek and construction manager Avcon Construction Inc.
Avcon president Avi Gottlieb told Daily Commercial News that the hangar is in good condition structurally and will readily accommodate the basketball complex.
“It’s a column-free space, which will make it easy to lay out the courts in the best possible fashion,” Gottlieb said.
The facility will boast four, state-of-the-art full courts, three half-court cages, bleachers, scoreboards and professional floorboards.
Gottlieb said a new wood floor will be constructed in the main space along with synthetic floors in the “cages”, which will be available for pick-up games on a year-round basis.
In addition, locker and shower facilities will be put in place, lighting upgraded and signage and graphics brought up to snuff.
The complex is to open next April.
The hangar was once used to manufacture de Havilland’s famous Mosquito bomber and Twin Otter aircraft.
HoopDome will provide facilities for tournaments, coaching clinics, after school programming and house leagues for players of all ages. Courts will be open past midnight on weekends.
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