Page 44 - The Hunt - Winter 2022

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It’s estimated that the sports arena project will provide 350 new jobs and drive $18.5 million in spending annually after three years.
“Guys would come from all over to race
in front of 3,000 fans every Friday night,” Chauner recalls. “It was the best track in the world at one time.”
In 2012, Chauner moved back to the area, where he met Wood, who was looking for a velodrome site in Chester County. “No one knew what a velodrome was, and there wasn’t a lot of interest in Coatesville,” says Chauner, adding that most bike tracks are built for the Olympics.
Knowing that there would have to be a larger focus to sustain the project, Chauner turned to Sports Facilities Advisory, the Florida-based sports consulting firm involved in Lancaster County’s Spooky Nook Sports, one of the largest convention centers and indoor sports facilities in the country. “That was the missing link,” he says.
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Velodrome Development Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the project, is spearheading its own capital campaigns for the arena. Some $250,000 has already been secured, and this winter sees the kickoff of the $12 million Campaign for Champions, with cycling great Greg LeMonde as the honorary chair. Construction on the facility itself should begin in by late 2023 and ideally be finished by the end of the 2024 Olympics. The hope is that the velodrome will become an Olympic and Paralympic training center.
The National Sports and Events Center is among the more than 40 economic projects breathing fresh life into Coatesville these days, including a $65 million train station set for completion in 2025. “The improvements will be a tremendous shot in the arm for the community,” says Logan.
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Visit velodromefoundation.org.