Mongtomery County, TN officials are considering a proposed event center that could involve Austin Peay State University and the Nashville Predators.
A study by HVS has looked into the possibility of Montgomery County constructing a new multi-purposed event center in Clarksville. The outlines a plan that could lead to a 6,000-seat main arena that is built to accommodate hockey and basketball. In addition, the center would feature one or two extra rinks in a multi-purpose space that seated 500, as well as meeting and event space.
Austin Peay could use the venue for its men’s and women’s basketball programs, both of which play their games at the Dunn Center. County mayor Jim Durrett confirmed that his office started working with consultants more than 18 months ago, but emphasized that the concept presented in the report is very much in the preliminary stages. More from Clarksvillenow.com:
While Durrett and his team are excited about the possibility of the MPEC and the revenue it could bring to our community, he cautions that the idea of a multi-purpose events center is still very much in the early planning stages.
“Now we are at a stage where we need to allow more intensive site and facility investigation as well as allow more due diligence on what the relationships and legal structure would look like. Really it’s simple, as local leaders, we feel we owe it to this process to move forward in investigating the possibility of a multi-purpose event center in downtown,” Durrett said.
For the Predators, the venue could provide the chance to expand the franchise’s arena management portfolio. More from The Leaf-Chronicle:
“The well-oiled machine that the Predators have put into place to run the (Bridgestone Arena) competes for the top entertainment options with New York, Los Angeles and other, much-larger cities,” said Durrett.
Predators President and CEO Sean Henry additionally said in a written statement, “We are excited about the vision and thankful to Mayor Durrett and all involved with the potential facility and all of its offerings. As we have seen in downtown Nashville, Antioch and Bellevue, a sports and entertainment facility can serve as a quality-of-life enhancer and an economic driver for new development and business.
“We appreciate the invitation to be a partner on this potential project and look forward to working with Montgomery County, APSU and other partners as it moves forward. This project will benefit all of Clarksville and the surrounding community, including those involved in youth sports, amateur hockey and skating activities,” Henry said.
If constructed, the center could be located in downtown Clarksville.
