The Sports World bubble, which collapsed under the weight of the snow during the recent blizzard, is back up and expected to reopen Wednesday or Thursday, according to one of the facility’s managers.
The weather-protected bubble, which has three synthetic turf fields that accommodate sports such as lacrosse, football, soccer, baseball, softball and Frisbee, sustained a tear and collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow, according to Manager Kathy Russotto.
“We’re back up ready to go hopefully tomorrow, if not Thursday,” Russotto said.
Unlike the dome/bubble at the Star Hill Athletic Facility in Tolland, Sports World does not have steel girders and, therefore, sustained less damage when it collapsed.
Conversely, according to a report in the Hartford Courant, Star Hill’s dome, which also collapsed during the blizzard, has been reinflated, but it is unclear when that portion of the facility would reopen. Star Hill has a pool housed in an attached building that was not damaged and remained open.
“We just had a tear repaired in the bubble,” Russotto said of Sports World. “Some lights were damaged from the weight of the snow and a couple of scoreboards. … We’re very fortunate the tear was able to be fixed quickly. Now we are working on a variety of internal things.
“Once those are cleaned up, we will be ready to go.”
Russotto said that she did not know how much it cost to repair the damage sustained at Sports World.
“It’s too soon to tell,” Russotto said.
She did, however, thank the community for its continued support.
“We appreciate everybody’s patience, concern and tolerance and flexibility,” Russotto said. “People care and we do appreciate that.”
Russotto said that people looking to see when the facility will open exactly should check Sports World’s website.
