On Wednesday morning, the City of Greer officially broke ground on the brand-new Sports & Events Center coming to Greer in 2027.
Hundreds of attendees piled onto the future site of the new Sports & Events Center, located on Highway 14 at South Buncombe Road in Greer.
“Athletics and recreation are deeply ingrained in the spirit of Greer, and the new Sports & Events Center will be a game changer for our diverse and growing city,” said Mayor Rick Danner. “We’re building a state-of-the-art facility that will meet the recreation needs of the City of Greer now and into the future. The scope and scale of this project are unrivaled in this region and promise to make Greer a destination for champions at home and across the nation.”
Groundbreaking guests were given a sneak peek at new design renderings and the full site plan. Several speakers took the podium to express excitement about the city’s plans.
Speakers praised the vision and foresight of city council members and specifically, Greer city administrator Andy Merriman.
“The vision for this is not just for it to be a sports center. That’s almost shortsighted,” said Merriman. “We want this to be a place where people come and just chill on a beautiful day. We want it to be a hub for the community.”
Merriman said the vision and process for the new Sports and Events Center began years ago, when the current facilities at Greer could no longer accommodate the rising number of prospective youth athletes in the growing community.
“We had kids on waiting lists, we had growing programs, and we had absolutely no place to house them,” said Merriman.
Greer councilman Lee Dumas, whose children have grown up in the Greer Rec programs, said he noticed years ago that it was time for a change.
“My son played in the league at the old Victor Gymnasium basketball courts. We were showing up to games only for them to be cancelled because it was raining on the court through the roof,” said Dumas. “The air conditioning wasn’t working at times, and we’d have to open it up, which would make the floors too slick and unplayable because of the condensation.
“It wasn’t acceptable, and it was time for a change. I don’t know if I ever envisioned something this grand, but it’s an incredible project.”
The new Sports and Events Center will feature nine basketball courts, 18 volleyball courts, a dedicated wrestling room, and multiple other amenities for the Greer community to host athletic events throughout the year.
“This is going to open up some much-needed space for our athletes and give us the opportunity to keep sports rolling year-round here in Greer,” said Justin Miller, city of Greer recreation supervisor. “We can’t wait to be able to open this up and provide more space and amenities for our community and its athletes.”
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