A site has been identified for a West Side indoor sports complex, according to a news release sent out Monday from the city of Albuquerque.
It was a decades-long dream for Ken Sanchez, who died in 2020, as he championed the project, said Councilor Louie Sanchez.
Louie Sanchez now holds the late councilor’s District 1 seat.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Ken Sanchez was instrumental in securing another West Side sports facility, the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex, 1801 Arroyo Vista Blvd. NW.
The proposed location, currently sitting vacant, is south of St. Joseph’s Drive NW, between Coors Boulevard and Atrisco Drive.
Sanchez said the owner “really wants to help the citizens of Albuquerque.”
Two public meetings, one in May and one in June, were held to discuss the new site.
If the location is approved by the City Council, Louie Sanchez said, he is optimistic that Phase 1 will begin soon.
The facility plans to serve athletes across a variety of disciplines, with basketball courts and spaces for volleyball, wrestling, cheer, dance and indoor soccer.
More than $11 million in city and state funding has been pulled together for the project. The first phase of the project, which includes purchasing approximately seven acres and building an eight-court facility, is estimated to cost $15 million.
Read the full Albuquerque Journal story here.