The facility's 200-meter hydraulically-banked running track and 50-meter swimming and diving pool are used by high school and college teams for training and competition.
The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau has projected a $13 million economic impact for the venue's first year of operation, based on events which had been booked prior to opening.
According to the mayor's office, $29 million of the city's funding for the project would come from business license fees which were increased in the Birmingham Economic and Community Revitalization Ordinance.
In September of that year, the City Council approved $7.5 million in contracts to Davis Architects and Brasfield & Gorrie for design and construction management services.
In April 2011, as construction neared completion, the Alabama High School Athletic Association agreed to a five-year contract to use the building for its state track meets and other events beginning in 2012.