by Bea Peterson
About one half mile west of the Hoosick Town line on Route 7, in Pittstown, sits the Strong Brothers Sports Dome. The Dome is a 210 feet by 200 feet air-supported structure, formed of one or more layers of continuous flexible membranes and anchored to the ground so that a leak proof seal is constituted. [private]This airtight structure is then inflated and pressurized by a constant supply of air. From the road it looks like a beached cloud sitting on the ground. Whatever it looks like, folks are glad it is there. It opened in late December, and teams from throughout the Capital District area, as well as Hoosick, Cambridge and Bennington have been making good use of the facility.
“The community has been great,” said owner Greg Harriman. “Interest has been great.” The Tri City Bombers baseball team, for example, have signed a contract through 2013. “We have schools interested in holding field days. With no worries about the weather, people can plan events and then not consider anything except getting here,” he added.
In addition, Harriman said there has been a lot of interest in sports camps, which he expects they will be doing through the summer. Under consideration are camps for soccer, baseball, softball, pitching and, possibly, a goalie camp.
There is plenty of room for more than one event at a time in the 65 yard long by 33 yard wide space. It’s enormous!
Ongoing Activities
Some programs are already in place. On Fridays at 7 pm there is co-ed soccer for ages 16 and up. Men’s flag football,
for 16 and up, is Sunday from 1 to 2 pm – just show up. Women’s field hockey is Monday from 6 to 7 pm for 16 and up. Teams are forming now.
The Dynotots soccer, ages 3 to 6, is Saturdays from 10 to 11 am. “It’s growing every week,” said Harriman.
The cost to use the Dome is $10 per person per hour, unless the person is in a league and then it depends on the number of players per team. Players should bring appropriate safety gear for their respective sport.
The Dome is far from finished. Harriman expects the next phase to begin the first week of May. That is when restrooms will be installed. (There aren’t any public restrooms at the moment.) Improvements will be made to the parking lot at that time as well. Right now the drive into the lot is more than a little bumpy.
Anyone interested in holding an event at the Dome should contact Matt Batchelder at 518-629-5634. To see what’s going on at the Dome visit SBsportsdome.com.
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