City taking steps towards building new dome over John Machin Field

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, Councillor Ryan Boehme put forward a motion aimed towards advancing the construction of an indoor sports facility in Kingston.

The motion, unanimously supported by Council, directs staff to review the condition of the grade beam at John Machin Field and, if suitable, issue a Request for Interest this summer from potential private operators of a sports dome.

The City originally designed John Machin Field in 2013 with the potential for a future dome in mind, including a grade beam capable of supporting an air-supported structure, along with a washroom building designed to integrate with a future facility.

Prior to its closure in 2023, the Westbrook Dome provided Kingston sports clubs with access to indoor field space. Since then, many local teams and organizations have been forced to travel to neighbouring communities to find suitable facilities. Plans for a future indoor sports facility in Kingston east also continue to face delays tied to market constraints.

The motion also comes during a period of growing momentum around soccer in Kingston, with the new Kingston Sentinels semi-professional club in its inaugural season, Sentinels franchise owners Victory Grounds Ventures continuing work towards a soccer stadium in the city in the near future, and FIFA World Cup events set to bring additional attention to the sport this summer.

Listen to the full story here.