Despite recent divisions, Springfield's city council unanimously called for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to keep one of its biggest high school basketball showcases in the city.
The councilors joined Mayor Domenic Sarno this week in making it clear: they don't want to see the HoopHall Classic move to the Boston area.
They unanimously approved a resolution emphasizing how they want the multi-day events to remain in the city, along with the event’s estimated $10 million economic impact.
The vote came a week after reports surfaced that Hall of Fame leadership mulled what a showcase move to Boston could look like.
The council item also called on the city to accelerate apparent plans to bring a sports complex to Springfield.
Presenting the resolution Monday, Councilor at Large Justin Hurst said the potential project could benefit from developers currently buying up properties in the city, preparing their bids for a courthouse project.
“… I also think it's a good opportunity – especially as it relates to the sports complex and additional hotels - to start having conversations with the developers for the courthouse that are buying up all of the property downtown,” Hurst said. “There's only going to be one winner for the courthouse contract, and the question is ‘What happens to … the rest of the property that these developers have bought up?’ And so, the time is now and we need to stop doing so much planning and start doing more acting.”
In a letter sent to Hall of Fame President and CEO John Doleva last week, Sarno noted the city has “put out an RFP for a sports complex.”
The letter was sent after Sarno learned Doleva corresponded with the now former-head of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority last year.
In an email, the HoF leader reportedly implied Springfield's infrastructure was being tested by the growing size of the showcase(s).
In a statement sent to WAMC last week, Doleva emphasized the HoopHall showcase events are not going anywhere.
He noted the Basketball Hall of Fame recently renewed its HoopHall Classic hosting agreement with Springfield College – a deal that runs through 2028, with an option to extend it to 2031.
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Audio for this story was provided by Focus Springfield
