Construction projects progressing at IBC

ARLINGTON, Texas - While business as usual happens daily in the offices of the United States Bowling Congress, Bowling Proprietors' Association of America and other organizations, at opposite ends of the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas, construction crews are hard at work.

On the ground floor of the north side of 621 Six Flags Drive, work on the new International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame is underway. Already complete are two replica manual pinsetter lanes that will also serve as the theatre.

Attendees at the USBC Convention in Reno, Nev., learned of the progress and vision of the IBM/HF during a May 1 presentation by Keith Hamilton, vice president of the IBM/HF Board of Trustees. The slideshow first showed a rendering of the entrance to the IBM/HF, bowling gift shop and International Bowling Campus. Later slides gave a glimpse into what the history and modern-era exhibits along with the combined, interactive Hall of Fame section and bowling gift shop will look like.

"Approximately one-third of the exhibits have been approved and are in the process of fabrication, and we are on target for an opening in early 2010," IBM/HF Executive Director Jerry Baltz said. "The new IBM/HF will put more emphasis on the 'contemporary era' such as organized youth programs, international competition and Team USA. Our design work already is benefiting greatly from the International Bowling Campus experts in these areas."

"I am confident that everyone will be very pleased with bowling's new 21st-century museum," Museum President and Chairman of the Board Pat Ciniello said.

On the south part of the campus, plenty of dirt has been moved for the International Training and Research Center. The site has been cleared and graded with water injection, drilling and pouring of piers for the structural slab under the lanes coming next. After that will come the footings for the foundation. Simultaneous to that work will be concrete work on the dock and the front entrance as well as some landscaping.

"We have been working closely with the architect, engineers and the city to finalize the design and include value engineering cost savings," USBC Vice President-National Governing Body Neil Stremmel said.

The goal is to have the Testing and Research Center open in late October. Anyone wanting to watch the progress being made on the Training and Research Center can check out the live Web cam on the right side of bowl.com.