ZMM Architects and Engineers is proud to have an ongoing relationship with the Shawnee Sports Complex and to have provided professional design services for the expanded Welcome and Tourism Center at the complex. Check out the full story from WOWK below.

by: Blake DeJarnatt

INSTITUTE, W.Va. (WOWK) – A $4 million project to improve guests’ experience at the Shawnee Sports Complex is nearly finished.

The new welcome center is designed to improve the experience for guests, referees, tournament directors and athletic trainers during their visit.

Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango said that the new welcome center is four times bigger than the old center. He said that people had to wait in long lines for both the concession stands and restrooms with their previous setup. Both of these issues are being addressed with the new center.

“We knew within the first couple of years that our welcome center was not designed efficiently. We wanted to make sure that we went back and upgraded the facility. We knew there were lines at the restrooms, lines at the concessions and there wasn’t enough space for all the large tournaments we were hosting. So, we wanted to make sure that we built that out,” Salango said.

Replacing the concession stands is a commercial kitchen, which will bring guests indoors and give them a place to sit while they grab a bite to eat. The new welcome center will also have 28 bathroom stalls, eliminating the long lines people had to wait in before this new addition.

Salango said that while there are many great travel sports locations across the East Coast, the new welcome center will set the Shawnee Sports Complex ahead of the rest of the pack.

“This is something that’s really going to set Shawnee apart from every other travel sports destination on the East Coast. A lot of them will have great fields, a lot of them will have a great facility but none of them have it all, and that’s exactly what Shawnee is going to offer,” Salango said.

The center is just the first of a few changes designed to improve visitors’ experience that the Kanawha County Commission is planning to implement at the Shawnee Sports Complex.

“We’re also looking at expanding parking, trying to pave some parking. We need shade shelters over on the baseball, softball side of the park. People roast during the summer when they’re at games, so we’re looking at ways to do that,” Salango said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for the new welcome center on August 7 at 5 p.m.