We’ve all seen the ways winter weather can wreak havoc across the state, from roadways turning into ice rinks to heavy snow burying homes.

In 2020, the largest free standing dome in the nation collapsed following a record 41 inches of snow that wiped out most of Broome County. It was one of the largest snowfalls in Southern Tier history. A spot that local athletes of all ages called home for decades, the Greater Binghamton Sports Complex, was no more.

Then, just one year later, during the rebuilding phase, the outer structure collapsed once again, this time due to a storm that brought heavy winds.

For the Kashou family, it was a challenge they never could have expected.

“We supported each other. We also just reminded each other that we can do this. It's not ever easy going through something that we went through, but as a family, we support each other and we felt the community support behind our family,” said Nicole Kashou Ryan, Director of marketing and new business for the complex.

Following close to a two year rebuild, one of the largest free-standing domes in the nation is finally standing once again – this time with a metal roof.

Walk through the doors, and children and adults in the Southern Tier finally have a familiar place to call home as the winter sport seasons begin.

While it wasn’t an easy couple of years, one local family wasn’t going to give up on a building that meant so much to so many in the region.

“Many people were reaching out over that time period, saying that place was like a home to me. I grew up there. My children grew up there,” said Kashou Ryan. “I started as a kid playing there, and then my kids started playing there. I think that's when we realized how much this meant to everybody. And we knew we couldn't just stop there.”

If you needed proof of how much the building means to the community, look no further than one of the top women’s lacrosse products from the area, Stanford freshman Peep Williams.

“In the wintertime, everyone from other places that I was competing against had their own facilities, and so I didn't really have the opportunity to go anywhere except for the Dome,” said Williams. “So the Greater Binghamton Sports Complex was really everything to me in the winter and in the summer, and my dad and I came here to train for years.”

The new complex is only slightly smaller, sitting at 100,000 square feet, but already has plans to host a major soccer tournament in the coming weeks.