Mayor Jensen hosts media tour of future home for Boom
By RICHIE HALL
NOBLESVILLE – The Arena at Innovation Mile is almost ready to open, and the City of Noblesville can’t wait to show it.
The official ribbon-cutting is next Friday, Aug. 8, just before Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen’s State of the City address. Jensen hosted a sneak-preview tour of the Arena Wednesday, inviting members of the local media to check out the new facility.
Noblesville Boom team president Tim Bawmann adds his autograph to the board in the green room. (Reporter photo by Richie Hall)
The $93 million, 123,000 square-foot Arena is located at 14157 CJ Way, east of the intersection of Olio Road and Tegler Drive/141st Street. While the City of Noblesville owns the Arena, it is operated by REV Entertainment of Arlington, Texas. The Arena is REV’s first entry into Indiana.
The State of the City address will be the first event to take place after the official opening, although it is a ticketed event. The Arena’s first public event will be a free concert Aug. 23 featuring Signs of Life: The American Pink Floyd. Fans of 1990s music will want to mark their calendars for Sept. 26, when the “I Love The 90s Tour” stops by, featuring Billboard chart-topping acts like Vanilla Ice, Color Me Badd and C&C Music Factory.
But for sports fans, the big draw will be basketball. The Arena will be the home of the Noblesville Boom, the rebranded NBA G League team formerly known as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The Boom is the G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers, with Pacers Sports & Entertainment listed as the Arena’s tenant.
The “concept to completion” time for the Arena was two and a half years, and Jensen said that the project finished on time and under budget.
“The fact that we were able to break ground and open this facility in two and a half years speaks to the quality of the contractors we’ve been working with, the plans that we laid out, the partnerships we have with Pacers Sports & Entertainment to get this job done,” said Jensen. “To deliver a $91-and-a-half million arena on time, under budget is unheard of these days, so I am incredibly proud. But it wasn’t easy, and it was done intentionally and with attention to detail in mind.”
The Arena will seat 3,500 fans for Boom games, with capacity expanding to 4,200 for other events, such as the afore-mentioned concerts. While basketball will be the main draw, the Arena’s high ceiling will also allow for other sporting events to take place, such as volleyball and gymnastics.
As for the spectator amenities, hungry fans can choose from two concession stands. One of the stands is named “Deer Creek Café,” a nod to the original name of the music center that is not far from the Arena. There are six suites in the building; two are private suites with the other four more open. Special amenities include a sensory room and a nursing room.
Todd Taylor, president of business operations for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, had nothing but positive things to say about the Arena.
“We’re absolutely blown away by the Arena at Innovation Mile,” said Taylor. “I think anybody that sees it will probably feel the exact same way.”
Taylor said when PS&E began working with Noblesville, the goal was to “create the best building in the G League. And I think it’s far exceeded our expectation.”
The floor for the Arena has already gotten some use: the Boom hosted a youth basketball camp in the building the week of July 14. That fills in line with Jensen saying that the Arena is a “community asset.”
“Last week, I took all the principals of all the Noblesville schools through this event space so they could see it,” said Jensen. “This is the community’s asset. I think the Pacers are aligned with that. Certainly the City of Noblesville is aligned with that. And that’s where you’re going to see a common theme throughout the events here.”