PEORIA (25News Now) - The Peoria Civic Center is undergoing a $45 million renovation with the promise of enhancing visitors’ experience.
“There’s going to be a lot of physical changes that people will notice right away,” said Civic Center Director of Operations Will Kenney.
The venue received $20 million from the City of Peoria and another $25 million from the state to do the updates.
Kenney said the building hadn’t been updated in 25 years, and a good portion of the money went towards parking lot resurfacing, all new roofing, boilers, cooling towers, and replacing 17- and 20-year-old carpet throughout the facility.
It’s something Civic Center Board of Commissioners Chairman Rick Semonis said has been a long time coming.
“It’s been so needed,” Semonis said. “You used to walk through the facility and have to dodge the cans that would catch the water when it was raining.”
Another portion of the money went towards updating Carver Arena, home to Bradley University athletics and Peoria Rivermen hockey teams.
One update to the arena is a new 26,000-pound, 14-foot-high, and 28-foot-wide scoreboard. Kenney said it will provide a better experience for sports fans.
“It doesn’t have any fixed digits on it, so it’s going to be video board from edge to edge, which gives it a lot bigger viewing options for replays and playback,” Kenney said.
The arena also features new retractable seating throughout the space, LED ribbon boards, concessions, sound system, and remodeled bathrooms.
“Three grab-and-go locations for quicker service, and then we’re going to have three specialty stands with new food offerings this year,” Kenney said.
A Mexican Cantina-style and BBQ food stand will be located near Section 112 of the arena, and the Avanti’s stand will move to the north side of the arena.
Semonis said the Civic Center is operating at “peak performance’ with a record year in sales. He believes the renovations will continue to make visitors want to come back to the venue.
“When you come to Peoria, you want it to be a positive experience, and we feel that these changes were needed to continue to offer that,” Semonis said.
Plans also call for renovating the glass arcade area for the following two years.
Arena renovations should be completed by September 25 in time for rock band Foreigner’s concert.
This story first appeared on 25newsnow.com.
