Opening nears for Finley Center, expanded RV park

Construction crews are racing the clock to get the new 155,000-square-foot Finley Center and Hoover RV Park at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex ready to open in time for the SEC Baseball Tournament.

But Monty Jones Jr., the manager of the complex, said he is confident they will have the facilities done the week before the tournament, scheduled for May 23-28.

“Structurally, we’re kind of all there,” Jones said in mid-April. “It looks a whole lot different than it did a couple of months ago. It’s actually taking shape. It’s looking closer and closer to being completely done.”

As of mid-April, workers still had to finish the external siding, painting, equipment installation, interior cosmetic work, landscaping and parking lot paving.

Some of the basketball goals attached to the ceiling already had been installed, and the wooden floor that will be used for basketball and volleyball was half-built, Jones said. The wooden floor is being built and painted in Tennessee and won’t be installed until mid-June — after the SEC Baseball Tournament and some other events, he said. It’s a portable floor that will be removed for events that work better on the concrete surface, he said.

The Finley Center, named after late Berry High School coach Bob Finley, is designed as a facility for sports, trade shows, banquets and other meetings and events.

On the sports side, it has enough room for 11 full-size basketball courts or 17 full-size volleyball courts. It also can be used for other sports, such as lacrosse, indoor soccer or roller hockey.

“It’s 82,000 square feet of uninterrupted space,” Jones said.

The Finley Center also has an area of more than 7,000 square feet reserved for either a sports performance center, sports rehab center or a facility that offers both, he said. City officials are still trying to determine the best fit for that space, he said.

The center also will have an indoor climbing wall, quarter-mile suspended indoor walking track, food court with four concession/vendor areas, kitchen, convenience store, outdoor patio, restrooms, three meeting rooms and a grassy event lawn between the Finley Center and Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

Because the Finley Center took up part of the space formerly occupied by the Hoover RV Park, the RV park has been partially relocated and expanded from 149 to 170 spaces. It also will be ready in time for the SEC Baseball Tournament, Jones said.

During the tournament, the Finley Center will be used as a “fanfare” area, with inflatables, games, concessions and other family-friendly activities, Jones said. The center is connected to the stadium by a walkway.

Several events already have been booked at the Finley Center after the SEC Baseball Tournament is over.

Made South, an event that showcases artisan goods, food, drink, music and art made in the South is scheduled to take up about half the Finley Center with about 100 vendors on June 2-3.

The Collectors and Shooters Co. has a gun show scheduled for June 10-11, and the Alabama Gun Collectors Association is having a gun show July 8-9. Each is expected to have 300 to 500 vendors and take up the entire facility, Jones said.

Jones, who also oversees the Hoover Met, said the Hoover Arts Alliance is having an arts and craft show on the Hoover Met concourse May 5-6. So far, about 70 to 100 vendors are expected, he said.

Then on June 8-10, the Hoover Baseball Club is holding its Hoover Baseball Summer Showcase for high school teams at the Met. At least 18 teams were scheduled to be there as of mid-April, he said.

In March, workers began clearing trees for the rest of the sports complex, which will include five NCAA-size baseball fields, five NCAA-size soccer/lacrosse/rugby/football fields, 16 hard-court tennis courts, a pro shop, playground and splash pad.

The target date for completion of that part of the complex is the first quarter of 2019, Jones said.

Jones already has hired five full-time employees: a business development and events director, senior sales and marketing manager, sports coordinator, finance manager and a parking and security manager. He plans to hire a facilities coordinator by early May.

Additionally, many part-time employees will be needed, including sports operations staff, parking attendants, ushers, people to sell and collect tickets, guest services representatives and other operations staff. A job fair was scheduled for April 29.

Turner Food Systems has been chosen as the food and catering service for the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, which includes the Finley Center, Hoover Met and field concession areas. However, Five Star Event Catering will continue to handle concessions and catering for the SEC Baseball Tournament, Jones said.

Brasfield and Gorrie, the construction management company overseeing the Finley Center, RV Park and sports field work, and the Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood architecture and design firm have been great partners, Jones said.

“I feel everything is going great,” he said. “It’s amazing just looking at it from week to week and just seeing the progress.”