Revised design may be coming for Quincy fieldhouse
While the overall size of the building may not change, the design of the Quincy Q-Plex might be revised to take into account conclusions from a recently completed feasibility study.
SOURCE: QUINCY VALLEY REGIONAL PARKS DISTRICT
QUINCY — The architects designing the proposed Quincy fieldhouse are being asked to review revising the project to add more indoor courts, rework the layout and convert it to a steel building, along with estimating what that might cost. Pat Haley, executive director for the Quincy Valley Regional Parks District, said officials are considering splitting the building into two sections.
“We want to reshape it so that the field is in one building and the courts are in another building,” Haley said.
The existing conceptual drawings for the Q-Plex include a single building, 143,000 square feet, with an indoor field and two indoor courts that could be configured for multiple sports. The possible redesign would add two more indoor courts, Haley said.
The review follows a report from a consultant who looked at the potential for using the fieldhouse to attract tournaments to Quincy. A tournament venue would help promote additional economic growth in town, Haley said.
“If you’re just doing it for Quincy, it’s way overbuilt,” Haley said.
The report suggested that one field wouldn’t really attract tournaments.
“One field inside isn’t enough to draw people,” Haley said in an earlier interview. “Whatever it is, it has to be multiple. If you’re going to have soccer tournaments come to your town, you have to have multiple fields. Just breaking the existing field into four smaller ones isn’t enough to bring people to town for a tournament.”
The feasibility study suggested, however, that multiple indoor courts could attract tournaments. The courts could be configured for basketball, volleyball, wrestling or other sports.
“The demand is out there,” Haley said.
The original design included a walking track around the outside of the field, but the feasibility study suggested elevating the track.
The original design called for a steel frame covered with fabric, but the feasibility study recommended using steel for the walls, Haley said. It also suggested raising the height of the field roof so that footballs or soccer balls wouldn’t hit the ceiling.
How much the changes would cost is still being determined, he said.
Quincy-area voters approved the formation of the parks district in 2023. To fund it, property owners will pay 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The Q-Plex was scheduled for design in 2025, with construction planned for 2026. Haley said that as of now, it’s still on schedule.