Economic development in Marshalltown is proving to be strong. In the same week MARSHALLTOWN Company announced its expansion, Play IT! Multi-Sport Complex said it would be opening its doors in the spring or summer of 2021.

Kristine Drinovsky is the general manager and regional vice president of operations for the facility, which will be located in Meadow Lane Mall.

“This will be 35,000 square feet of a multi-sport complex,” she said. “We are going to have great offerings.”

Some of those offerings include seven batting cages, pitching machines, indoor soccer and futsal, roller hockey, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, fitness equipment, birthday party rentals and more. Drinovsky said Play IT! will also have classes which combine mental and physical health such as tai chi, yoga and pilates.

Right now, Drinovsky is focused on the necessary construction in getting the facility ready for opening day.

“We have had to redo everything,” she said. “New HVAC, new lighting, repositioning the sprinkler system. We had a lot of demo to do and a lot of cleaning up before we can get going. However, we are using local people for the construction.”

Not only is the preparation for the business giving Marshalltown residents some work, but Drinovsky is hoping to employ roughly 25 people.

“We need people for the front desk, for child care, coaches are the main thing to run leagues,” she said.

Drinovsky has placed a posting on Indeed.com looking for coaches. She has already hired Micheal Riddle to be her assistant. It is a good match, as Drinovsky said they are both high-level coaches.

Play IT! will feature a variety of things for people of all ages to participate in. For the really young kids, Drinovsky said there will be mini soccer, basketball, volleyball open gym space and more.

“Kids just need to get out and play,” she said. “We also want to give kids a competitive edge.”

For senior citizens, Drinovsky said she has gotten reception from about 350 people who are interested in participating in some possible senior leagues, such as 3 on 3 basketball.

“People want to do that,” she said. “People want to move and have fun.”

Since Marshalltown residents learned about the upcoming business, she said the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I have been very pleased with the reactions,” Drinovsky said. “There has been excitement on social media. This community has gotten hit hard twice with storms and we really want to keep the price reasonable so residents don’t have to travel to Iowa City or Des Moines. They want to have something in their town and we are keeping it in the community.”

Keeping membership prices reasonable is really something she is focusing on and Play IT! is looking for businesses to sponsor memberships for families who cannot afford it. Drinovsky said a family of four can get an annual membership for $200.

Marshalltown itself holds a special place for Drinovsky. She grew up outside of LeGrand, so Marshalltown was the place to go when she was younger. Drinovsky is no stranger to sports, either. She coached some sports at Marshalltown High School and Marshalltown Community College, and the YMCA and the Marshalltown Parks and Recreation Department started her on her career path.

“I am excited to be back in the community I grew up in,” she said. “I love seeing everybody I knew or who took classes from me before.”

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.