The under-construction Soldotna Field House stands in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

The under-construction Soldotna Field House stands in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

‘We’re really moving along’

Officials give field house updates at Soldotna City Council meeting

Construction of the Soldotna Field House is continuing apace, according to brief updates shared during a Nov. 20 meeting of the Soldotna City Council by member Jordan Chilson and Public Works Director Kyle Kornelis.

Kornelis described a visit that same morning, saying there is “significant progress” being made inside the facility — which this summer sprung up next to the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.

“We’re framing walls, roughing in electrical, mechanical, plumbing,” he said. “The painters are in there, on giant scissor lifts for the ceiling painting. We poured concrete yesterday … we’re starting to hang Sheetrock.”

“We’re really moving along at the field house.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The city has not indicated a set date or window for opening of the field house, though work is expected to continue for much of 2025.

Chilson also discussed the field house, citing an update from Soldotna Parks and Recreation Director Joel Todd to the Soldotna Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Nov. 7.

At that meeting, on Nov. 7, Todd showed the group a mock design for acoustic panels that will be installed on the field house walls to suppress resonating sound. The current design will have a two-toned orange and blue design, mixing up “a lot” of white used throughout the facility.

Those panels were actually removed from the project for “a hot second,” Todd said, when there were concerns about funding.

“We knew we weren’t going to be able to open without them,” he said. “This was something we thought maybe we could add on later, on our own.”

Fortunately, Todd said, with favorable bids, the panels were able to be installed as part of the bond project.

Another shift likely being made — “not solidified, but it is most likely the route that we’re heading” — is replacing the modular plastic floor described in the original design with a wooden floor.

Todd said the product would match those used in contemporary basketball courts, and still be modular. He said the floor of the field house can be pulled up “down to concrete” for different shows and events, configured to be fully wood or fully turf, or some combination of the three.

The wood floor will be more favorable for athletes and more durable, Todd said, able to be maintained over a longer lifespan.

Recordings of both meetings are available at soldotna.org.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney speaks during a meeting of the UA Board of Regents at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Pitney: UA, KPC seeing momentum, attendance growth

The university president described KPC as “a leader of the pack” in enrollment growth at the university

University of Alaska Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins speaks during a meeting at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Where does this end?’: University of Alaska to strip diversity and inclusivity language from programs, policies

The board was clear during the meeting that they were responding to pressure from the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich holds a telephone town hall on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Screenshot from the Facebook page of U.S. Rep. Nick Begich)
Murkowski, Begich host telephone town halls to address constituent concerns

Both events were inaccessible to some, who grew frustrated at technical problems

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaks on the House floor on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Education funding bill unexpectedly advances again, nears House floor vote amid affordability concerns

HB 69 clears Finance Committee at first hearing as minority says discussions there are not worthwhile.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepts federal grant for police vests

The funds entirely cover the purchase of three ballistic vests this fiscal year.

Soldotna High School student Ethan Anding asks a question during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
District discusses $17M deficit at community meeting

More than 100 people gathered in the KCHS auditorium.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Man found dead near Kasilof roadway on Tuesday

He was found off Pollard Loop Road near Reindeer Lane in the Kasilof area.

Fire Marshal Jeremy Hamilton gives a tour to students during Job Shadow Day at Kenai Fire Department in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Roddy Craig/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai students try on careers for Job Shadow Day

Roughly 100 students from Kenai Central High School scattered to more than 30 businesses to get a feel for the workforce.

A 2015 Ford Explorer that was stolen from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce before crashing into a tree near Wells Fargo Bank is loaded onto a tow truck in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Car stolen, crashed in Kenai

The car was reportedly taken from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Most Read