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Doug Grow: Once failing Spring Lake Park dome is doing well Page 1 of 3 <br /> news treetime- travel - homezone- cars shopping workavenue communities <br /> metro r region nation world politics business sports variety opinion fun & games talk <br /> Relate <br /> Email <br /> s. <br /> t,l.! 9 Print <br /> Doug Grow: Once failing Spring Lake Park dome isl <br /> Doug- doing well <br /> Doug Grow 'News <br /> '(rr ° Star Tribune <br /> a little Published %lay 01.2002 More seam <br /> about... The Minnesota Sports Federation thought it had found the perfect 3 RD <br /> Doug Grow anniversary tribute. <br /> writes about <br /> people and <br /> events in the In November, as part of its celebration of 20 years of being the umbrella <br /> metro area. His organization for thousands of state athletes of all ages, the federation <br /> column appears bought a domed facility in Spring Lake Park. <br /> in the Metro <br /> section on <br /> Sunday, "There's a huge shortage of facilities," said Perry Coonce, executive <br /> Tuesday and director of the nonprofit organization. "We've always hoped we could <br /> Thursday have a place of our own." <br /> The dome, which was failing financially as an indoor golf facility, <br /> seemed ideal. After paying $500,000 for the dome, Coonce said, the <br /> federation pumped an additional $250,000 into the building to create <br /> eight volleyball and four basketball courts. It easily is converted into a <br /> facility for indoor soccer and softball and also has been used for events <br /> such as umpiring clinics, which are sponsored by the federation. <br /> "Wonderful space," said Coonce. " . . . It's been used almost daily since <br /> we opened. It's everything we hoped it would be." <br /> Carloads of athletes -- mostly kids being driven by their parents -- <br /> started pouring into Spring Lake Park, a community of 7,000 that <br /> straddles the border between Anoka and Ramsey counties. <br /> "We're a very nice little uncontroversial community," said City <br /> Administrator Barbara Nelson. "We like the idea of what's going on in <br /> there." <br /> Maybe just not quite so much of it. <br /> Nelson said that on weekends, when the facility generally is being used <br /> for tournaments, there is too little parking outside, too many people <br /> inside, and too much noise escaping from the dome. There have even <br /> been little conflicts between townspeople and spectators. <br /> "We've had cases of where patrons have been walking through private <br /> property and when the property owners have said something, the patrons <br /> have sworn at them and made obscene gestures," Nelson said. <br /> http://www.startribune.com/stories/465/2832857.html 5/14/02 <br />