FARGO, N.D. – Phase 2 of the Fargo Parks Sports Center at the Sanford Sports Complex has a grand opening ceremony scheduled for Thursday, January 16, one week after it was first opened to the public. This is stated in the release. The completion of Phase II, led by JLG Architects and McGough Construction, will bring the community together on approximately 400,000 square feet and provide a multipurpose community recreation facility for indoor sports, activities, tournaments, and special events. The facility is located on 123 acres known as the Sanford Sports Complex at 6100 38th St. S. in Fargo, North Dakota.
The Grand Opening Celebration on January 16th will be held from 4:30pm to 7pm and invites the community to open play on three pickleball courts and an indoor playground with giveaways and refreshments. Organizers are asking participants to bring their skates to be the first to skate on the facility’s two new rinks. Open skating will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Sanford Sports Academy and Sanford Sports Performance staff will be available to answer questions about the programs and services offered at the Fargo Parks Sports Center, the release states. The grand opening of the Fargo Parks Sports Center is free and open to the entire community.
Phase II was designed by JLG Architects and McGough Construction and will add six indoor pickleball courts, four hardwood courts, an indoor playground, six party rooms, a tournament room, and a meeting room. Completion of the second phase also opens the doors to the sports center’s IcePlex, providing two sheets of ice with enclosed bleachers.
With the opening of Phase 2, the sports center will have unobstructed views from one end of the facility to the other.
Ty Pritchard of JLG Architects said, “The open central spine allowed us to incorporate natural diffused light and energy into the design, providing guests with clear vision to all activity zones.” says. JLG’s design ensured that the ground floor community spaces and hallways remained visually open with a ceiling-mounted second floor design. This design eliminates the need for beams on the main level and provides athletes and fans with simplified wayfinding to ease movement during tournaments.
“Designing the largest multi-sport focused building in the area is really exciting,” Mr Pritchard said. “Our inspiration was to understand the history of the prairie and how it was formed by glaciers. We imagined the processes of glacier mass, ice fracturing, and melting. to create a vast facade that passes through perforated vertical panels for diffused sunlight and striped patterns. These patterns mimic the texture of glaciers moving through our landscape. To bring warmth to the building, we designed bright gathering areas, or “campfires,” throughout the community. Inspired by the creation of a moment. All of these were created with the idea of uniting people. ”
The first phase of Fargo Parks Sports Center held its grand opening on May 29, 2024. This first phase will total approximately 290,000 square feet and was designed by JLG Architects and McGough Construction. The opening of the first phase will create a home for Sanford Sports Academy’s basketball and volleyball programs, with a multi-purpose indoor turf field, four hardwood courts with cross courts, a championship court and second-floor sky box, a community room and Meeting rooms and dining facilities have been established. It includes beverage service, a sports shop, Fargo Park District staff offices, a Midco-sponsored lounge, a 350-meter three-lane track, and the Sanford Sports Performance Gym.
The sports center’s 95,000-square-foot indoor turf field has strategically placed windows offering views of the outdoor skyline and a 1,000-foot-tall tower designed to provide pedestrians with a destination at each corner. It features a three-lane walking track. This multipurpose fieldhouse offers an advanced turf system and adaptable field space for football, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and baseball, and also includes pitching/batting cages and tilt-and-roll bleachers for spectator events. It is.
sanford sports
The Fargo Parks Sports Center includes a 25,000-square-foot tenant partnership with Sanford Sports and Sanford Health, one of the project’s major donors. Sanford Sports Performance offers a state-of-the-art athletic training academy, hydrotherapy, sports performance, hydration stations, and Sanford sports physical therapy space. Services include personalized training on multiple sports surfaces and scenarios, with options such as grass, water, hardwood, plyometric gyms, and sprint tracks. Sanford Sports Performance also offers 360-degree motion capture to assess athlete movement in time-lapse.
Fargo Parks Sports Center offers Sanford Sports Performance, Sanford Sports Academy, and Sanford Sports Physical Therapy members and patients access to the designated Sanford Sports Academy courts, eight physical therapy treatment rooms, and 2,213 square feet of physical therapy. gym, therapeutic pool, underwater treadmills, 7,903 square feet of strength and conditioning space, expanded locker rooms, indoor turf fields, sprint lanes, and athletic training services at Sanford Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.
With both phases completed, the Fargo Parks Sports Center, owned by the Fargo Park District, will address a critical unmet need for indoor recreation in Fargo and the surrounding area. JLG Architects worked with the Fargo Park District to develop a master plan and schematic design for the facility, with designs based on the 2015 Greenplay study.
“It was extremely rewarding to work with the Fargo Park District and Sanford Health to create a space that promotes athleticism and year-round physical health,” said Todd Medd of JLG Architects. said. “In this climate, physical activity and exposure to natural light are critical to the health, well-being and growth of our community.”
“This project was an all-hands-on-deck effort that brought together the expertise of JLG’s sports and healthcare studios,” said Tom Betti of JLG Architects. “We are proud to support the Fargo Park District in meeting the growing demand for indoor turf, hockey and hard court facilities. and a future-ready hub for community resiliency, offering endless opportunities for program growth, year-round wellness, tournament play, and bringing people together in meaningful ways.”
