GREENWOOD — As the winter weather rolls in to stay here in central Indiana, the folks behind the newGreenwood Fieldhouse are ready to roll out new indoor programming.
"Many people going into the winter months are kind of dreading it. It gets gray. It gets gloomy. This is our prime. Right? So we've been looking forward to this," says Greenwood Parks and Recreation Director Rob Taggart. "We really get to see the identity of the Fieldhouse come to light."
The 65,000 square-foot Fieldhouse stands tall in the footprint of the old middle school site, giving a nod to the old building with its history while looking forward to a new beginning for the growing community.
Inside, visitors find indoor recreation spaces, two multi-purpose turf fields, the city's first indoor walking track, golf simulators, courts and more.
Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers remembers his time as a student in the old building. He says he is excited about what this massive space can offer the city and its residents, throughout the year.
"I want to make Greenwood a Healthy City, USA and I want people to be healthy," says Myers. "Me personally, I need to work out every day for my own health and for my own peace of mind. It's so great. And we want to see that continue throughout the winter season."
The City of Greenwood announced expanded programming options during the winter months inside the Fieldhouse to give people more opportunities to stay active. With the Fieldhouse, they are able to expand on some of the programs once provided at the Greenwood Community Center with fewer space constraints.
"In addition to our Community Center, it has a lot of offerings that we didn't have in the past like this indoor turf field where you can do indoor lacrosse, futsal, soccer, has an indoor walking track, which we've desperately needed over the years. It's got pickleball courts for everybody. It's got indoor golf simulators and batting cages upstairs. And it's something we built for the community that's very inexpensive for the community. Versus having a private club where you have a monthly membership," says Myers. "We want to get the people in here and keep the city healthy. We want people to be here and have that place to go for the winter. So they're not stuck in their houses."
The Fieldhouse will also provide space for activities for families, including a program called Tots on the Turf, which is a dedicated time for toddlers to safely explore various sports on the turf during regular school hours.
Taggart says this added space allows the city to bring programs offered in the warmer months indoors.
"We've got a new lot of new programs coming online. That's going to make our programs even more robust," says Taggart. "A lot of the programs that you aren't able to run or kind of get put on hiatus because of the weather, we will bring them inside into a controlled climate. So we're really excited about that for the community."
In addition to providing this space and programming for residents, the Fieldhouse also opens up opportunities to host events for the city and attract visitors to Greenwood.
"We've already got three events scheduled for next spring. And that will bring people into the heart of downtown so they'll see what we've got going on," says Myers. "We have brand new coffee shops. We have microbrews. We have great restaurants right in the heart of downtown now. We have a lot of small stores that are the one-offs that we really want people to come into. You know, years ago, downtown was 75% vacant now it's 95% occupied. And we're really excited about that, to see all these small businesses coming, that want to be a part of the local downtown."
Surrounding the new Fieldhouse is a lot of construction and currently a lack of parking. A new parking garage is currently under construction nearby. The parking lot just south of the Fieldhouse will open in the spring of 2023. Currently, visitors can park on the southeast corner of Meridian Street and Surina Way.
The Fieldhouse is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Annual Memberships are available, as well as day passes and punch cards. Rates vary based on age and if you are a Greenwood resident or visitor. You can find the breakdown of the costs here.
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