St. Charles County’s Family Arena is getting a $13 million makeover, a massive undertaking expected to be completed by next fall.

“So many people have enjoyed cheering at soccer games, concerts and shows at the Family Arena. Whole generations of high school students have graduated there,” said Bob Schnur, Assistant Director of Administration for St. Charles County, in a press release. “Rejuvenating the aging parts of the arena will be our investment in the next generation of memories.” 

The Family Arena, which opened in 1999, has never had a major renovation, despite hosting up to 400,000 guests per year.

Among one of the major changes coming to the venue is an upgrade to the seats. During the next year, major improvements will include replacing the lower-level seats at a cost of $3.2 million.

“The seats are as old as the building. They have endured a lifetime of spills, and they show it—they look dirty, even after we clean them,” says marketing and booking manager Tom O’Keefe. “Having new seats will be a radical improvement—and they’ll have thicker cushions and be more comfortable, too.”

Other major projects at the Family Arena include replacing the video boards and replacing the central heating and cooling systems. The improvements will also focus on upgrading interior Wi-Fi for guests, new concourse signage, communication system upgrades, parking lot repaving and roof replacement.

“Overall, the improvements are to make the experience more pleasurable for guests, and to modernize the building to keep up with what guests expect at other venues,” O’Keefe said.

More than $10 million for the improvements will be paid by federal ARPA funding and another federal grant, while about $3 million will be covered by County funding.