Construction of the Kalamazoo County Event Center is on track for a September 2027 opening, project leaders told county commissioners October 20.
Jane Ghosh, president and CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, gave the update on behalf of the Kalamazoo County Event Center Assessment District Authority. The project broke ground July 31. Steel arrived October 5, and crews began going vertical October 12. Ghosh said the south side’s structural steel is already in place.
The facility is designed primarily for basketball and volleyball, with hard courts that can also host events such as gymnastics, wrestling and dodgeball year-round. Ghosh said the project team worked with the Natural Features Protection Board of the City of Kalamazoo to preserve trees along the entrance. She also named the city, Oshtemo Township, the Road Commission, MDOT and Consumers Energy among the partners planning the surrounding road network.
On the operations side, Sports Facilities Companies is developing the pre-opening and first-year operating budgets, and a preliminary website has launched. A general manager job posting goes live this week. The authority is seeking sponsorships and negotiating a tenant agreement for leasable space. Ghosh said it has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a potential naming-rights partner, and a final name will be announced later.
Discover Kalamazoo has promoted the facility at nine trade shows and identified more than 100 prospective event organizers, Ghosh said. Event booking is expected to begin once a firm construction completion date is set.
Ghosh said assessment revenue is tracking within 1% of the original forecast, and the first bond debt payment is due November 1. A donor fund for the project is open at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.
