The multi-sport bubble dome on Lasalle Boulevard will no longer be named for Fabio Belli, said Rainbow District School Board, several days after it announced it was taking over full funding and operation of the facility.
The school board said it is disappointed by the fact it did not receive the promised $1-million donation from the Fabio Belli Foundation towards the $4.3-million sports dome. As a result, the board will retain all revenue generated through rentals, which Rainbow said will cover the costs of maintaining the facility.
As part of the announcement, the school board said the name of the dome will reflect its location and its ownership. In an email, a board spokesperson confirmed the new name will no longer be in honour of the late city councillor, who died suddenly on April 12, 2014, at the age of 37. Belli spent years working to bring a year-round sports facility to Greater Sudbury.
“The name of the dome has yet to be determined,” said Nicole Charette.
The school board will be covering the shortfall of the expected $1-million donation from its reserves. It has already committed $2 million from its reserves, as well as $1.3 million in capital funding.
The work Belli put into the realization of the sports dome before his death will not go unrecognized, however. Rainbow said it will collaborate on the creation of a plaque to celebrate and commemorate his vision.
The dome will begin operating this fall, but due to COVID-19, it will only be available to students in Rainbow schools and will have enhanced health and safety protocols.
Sudbury.com has reached out to the Fabio Belli Foundation to determine what happened with the donation, but have not been able to connect with a foundation representative as of yet. Check back for more on this story.
