New sports complex coming to the Valley

July 15, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

MAT-SU - As long as he has coached basketball in the Mat-Su Valley, Greg Ray has recognized the need for better sports facilities in the area.

Now Ray - a coach in the Valley at both the youth and prep levels - and his business partner, Scott Johannes, are doing something about it.

Ray and Johannes are overseeing the construction of a 60,000-square foot sports complex to be located at the intersection of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and Double B Street. The as of yet unnamed facility is scheduled to open Jan. 1, Johannes said.

The complex will feature five full-size basketball courts, that will also double as volleyball courts, Johannes said. There will be an athletic club, weight training room and indoor running track.

&#8220Initially it was 20,000 square feet, but the more we wanted to do, the bigger we saw this thing become,” Ray said, noting there will also be seating with room for about 3,000 spectators.

The facility will also feature an aerobics room and office space for local sports organizations.

&#8220We tried to design it to fit as many uses as possible to serve as many people as possible,” Johannes said.

The athletic club will be a private athletic club, Johannes said, offering everything the typical athletic club would, such as weights, aerobics, cardio machines, locker rooms and saunas.

There is also retail space, which is already spoken for. Johannes said details will be released in the near future.

But the main intention for the construction of the complex, Ray said, is to provide the local sports organizations with a quality facility.

Ray, an organizer of the Mat-Su Basketball Club, said local organizations normally have to scramble to find sports teams.

&#8220This is something kids in the Valley really need,” Ray said.

But it's not just for the kids. Local adult organizations will benefit as well.

Ray said he and Johannes have been in contact with most of the local sports organizations, and the feedback has been very positive. There is also plans to donate office space for use during the seasons of the local sports organizations and the officials association.

In addition to the court time for clubs, Ray said the facility will also feature time for open gym, something he hopes will be on a daily basis.

The courts will be available to rent. And virtually every sport that can be played on the hardwood can be hosted by the complex.

Ray and Johannes have been working on this idea for about three years. The two met while Ray was an assistant boys basketball coach at Wasilla High School.

Criterion General Inc., a company in which Johannes is the co-owner of, is building the project. Johannes estimated a cost of $8 billion, and said the project is privately funded.

According to the company's Web site, Criterion has worked all over the state with projects ranging from the construction of the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union in Palmer to the remodel of the Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge.

Key in the minds of both Johannes and Ray was the location of the project.

&#8220We really wanted a piece that was centrally located,” Johannes said. &#8220It's really important that we can do it for the Valley. It's not Palmer. It's not Wasilla. It's a facility to serve the Valley.”

The complex will be located next to Valley Christian Schools along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.