Renovations are underway at the former BI-LO Center
Last week the Greenville Road Warriors hockey team played their home opener amid fancier digs at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, formerly known as the BI-LO Center.
This first phase of renovations cost about $6 million, according to General Manager Roger Newton. The project’s total budget is $14.5 million.
Newton said the renovations were more about getting up to date than trying to achieve a particular style.
“It was just trying to modernize. It has not had a makeover since it opened in 1998. To use the analogy of your homes, we’re pulling your 15-year-old televisions and replacing them with nice flat screens,” Newton said.
The general contractor was Caldwell Construction. Renovation of the suites comprised the bulk of the work, costing about $1 million. Caldwell also resurfaced the parking lot and changed the entrance.
A new scoreboard and digital ribbon from CBS Outdoor cost about $2 million. Other upgrades include new risers, digital displays at concessions and hallways, curtains and tread for steps in the aisles. Seats were judged to be in good condition, so they will not be replaced until some point in the future.
“The one thing we really wanted to get done this fall, and just did not have time to do it, was to get a new sound system in,” Newton said.
Next year the arena plans to replace the roof, redo dressing rooms and concourses and make other exterior improvements. The outdoor marquee will be updated, and the venue would like to add another on the opposite side of Church Street if the city approves.
The project is scheduled to take place over three years, but Newton said he thinks it can be done in two, with completion in 2014.
The majority of the renovations are funded by the City of Greenville and Greenville County.
