In Woodbury, Down Goes the Dome

There really wasn’t much to it.

They turned off the air, opened the doors and the Bielenberg Sports Center’s dome—for the first and last time—was deflated.

“It’s pretty primitive,” said Dave Black, manager of the Bielenberg Sports Center.

Woodbury held a “bubble bursting” event Monday afternoon, marking the beginning of a $21.8 million expansion project and the end of the dome, which has stood since 1995.

The bubble has withstood strong winds and snowstorms over the years, but after a simple pull of a lever by Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens, the dome was deflated in about half an hour.

“I’m a little bit nostalgic,” Black said, noting that he’s logged about 1,000 miles jogging in the dome during his lunch hour over the past 17 years.

Still, he was happy the dome survived and the city was taking it down “on our own terms.”

For her part, Mayor Stephens said it was “bittersweet” to have to bubble come down. (See her formal comments in videos posted with this story.)

Woodbury deflated the dome to make way for a new permanent field house, part of an expansion project that also includes a new two-story lobby, outdoor pleasure rink and improvements to the existing ice arenas.

“It’s a great day,” Councilman Paul Rebholz said from under his umbrella.

The coming renovations will be “pretty spectacular,” he said, noting that the new field house will provide options for baseball next year should Woodbury experience a similarly poor spring in terms of weather.

About 50 people showed up for the dome deflation, many taking photos and video while others gathered bits of turf as it came down. The sports center was named after a citywide contest in 1995; its name comes from Orville Bielenberg, the city’s first mayor, whose family farmed the area where the complex stands.

The dome was 50,000 square feet. The new structure will span 90,000 square feet.

A company is taking the material (it’s a specially coated polyester) and recycling it for other purposes, Black said.

The city advertised the ceremony as a “bubble bursting” event and, wary of being accused of false advertising, provided bubble gum for people to pop Monday.

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