BILLINGS — The construction of a $20 million multi-sport facility called the Amend Recreational Center (ARC) is aiming to be complete at the end of June in 2026.
The 56,980-square-foot building will feature four full-sized basketball courts, along with volleyball and pickleball courts, and is part of a recent push to enhance sports facilities in Billings.
Watch this video to see the construction process:
ARC project manager Lane Huffman said his crews are working hard to get the roof and walls in place before the cold weather hits.
"This morning, we poured our two mechanical slabs," Huffman said as he gave MTN a tour of the property. "This is all basketball courts right here. Basketball courts, volleyball courts and an indoor track area."
For those behind the project, such as Dick Zier with the South Billings Urban Renewal Association, the space comes with endless opportunities.
"This will be a multi-use facility," Zier said. "I don't see it always being used for sports."
Parks and Recreation Superintendent Kory Thomson said the new facility will do more than just help Billings welcome more sporting events to the community.
"This will be a fantastic venue for not only weekend tournaments, but also community recreation," Thomson said.
While the project is underway at Amend Park, next to the construction of the Signal Peak Ice Arena, it wasn't long ago that the idea didn't seem possible.
In 2023, a $143 million bond, which would've funded a multi-sport facility, a new ice arena and also upgrade city parks, was soundly defeated by Billings voters.
"The timing was kind of bad," Zier said. "Everybody had just got their new tax bill."
What many residents didn't realize, though, is that Zier and his organization had initially approached the City Council with a smaller idea before the larger parks bond was proposed.
"There had been discussions the last number of years about how we could increase indoor recreation," Thomson said.
When the bond failed, Zier went back to the Council to ask if those talks could begin again. Zier said the city agreed, with three stipulations.
"They had three rules," Zier said. "There could be no bond, there could be no levy, and there needed to be a public-private partnership."
That private partnership was found through Signal Peak Energy, which led the way as a donor for the new ice arena.
On the public side of things, the ARC was funded as a city-run Tax Increment Financing district. This type of district, which has a separate budget from the city, leverages tax dollars to pay for public infrastructure development in blighted areas.
"We use that increase in tax from business development to help fund those other projects," Zier said.
That's why for the next few months, there will be two active construction sites with two different construction crews, working towards the same goal.
"Instead of a really large multipurpose facility, this is kind of broke down into segments," Thomson said.
Zier said he couldn't be more excited as both buildings take shape.
"It's like winning the Super Bowl in Billings because it's something we really need here," Zier said.
