NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The City of North Charleston, South Carolina is moving ahead with an $18 million dollar renovation project for the North Charleston Coliseum. The Coliseum’s primary tenant the South Carolina Stingrays, three time Champions of the ECHL, will be a chief beneficiary of the effort to update the largest arena in the low country area of South Carolina. Bids are being requested in June for work that is expected to begin shortly after the July fourth holiday.
The arena currently has an overall capacity of 13,295. The hockey configuration can be set up for crowds of 7,000 to 10,500 depending on the chosen setup. The renovation and expansion will add an additional 30,000 square feet to the building, establish eight luxury suites, new concessions capacity and update the arena’s audio system.
The Coliseum complex includes both the arena and the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. In addition to being the home of the South Carolina Stingrays, the Coliseum has been used for college basketball, including the Southern Conference post season championship tournament and is a frequent host of major musical acts and performances.
The Stingrays have averaged about 5,000 fans per game over the past three seasons and should benefit attendance wise from an update of the 17 year old facility. While much of the new space will be used for various non-hockey activities, additional space will help relieve the chronic backup at the concession stands that occurs with large crowds and will create the ability to upgrade concessions. The added space will triple the amount of food service.
The audio system update is also badly needed to bring the arena on par with many of the other facilities in use by ECHL hockey teams. The South Carolina Stingrays will commence their 17th season in the ECHL in October. The construction is scheduled for two phases and according to local management and will not interfere with current arena operations and events.
Contact the writer at Phil.Brand@prohockeynews.com
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