Work begins to expand Pro Football Hall of Fame's Nash Family Conference & Event Center

CANTON − Contractors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame have started work to expand its Nash Family Conference and Event Center by about 7,500 square feet.

Workers are expected to build hospitality storage space, a new kitchen, a food service and prep corridor, public restrooms, a hallway vestibule and second-floor offices for employees with employee restrooms, the Hall of Fame said Thursday.

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Contractors have cleared shrubbery and removed sidewalks in the area to get ready, said Rich Desrosiers, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's chief communications officer.

Work is expected to be done by March.

Desrosiers said the expansion will enhance the safety of the Hall of Fame's museum section by moving the Nash Center's kitchen further away. He said design is still being finalized and he did not yet have an estimate for the cost of the expansion.

The work will not affect the operations of the Hall of Fame's museum, games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium or activities in the surrounding Hall of Fame Village, he said. The Nash Center will remain open except the facility may have some periodic closures, the Hall of Fame statement said.

Other impacts of the construction through March include: the closure and fencing of George Halas Drive NW, pedestrian traffic will be re-routed so people will have access to the adjoining mini-turf field and the stairs up to the Fan Engagement Zone of the Hall of Fame Village, the pick-up and drop-off zone for buses will be moved to the east side of the parking lot and busing and recreational vehicle parking will be switched to another lot.

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Work begins to expand Pro Football Hall of Fame's Nash Family Conference & Event Center