Some non-domed volleyball action at Wagner’s Lanes.

Wagner’s Lanes in Eau Claire will soon be able to operate its volleyball leagues year-round. On Monday, its owners got permission from the city Plan Commission to build an inflatable 35-foot-tall dome to shield the outdoor volleyball courts from the Wisconsin weather. The 18,000-square-foot dome would encompass two existing outdoor sand volleyball courts west of the bowling center as well as a yet-to-be-built third court. But the dome would also cover part of the adjacent parking lot, which could impact your life even if you never set your foot upon the volleyball sand. You see, the dome would block a popular traffic shortcut through Wagner’s parking lot. The shortcut, which connects Brackett Avenue on the north (between Papa Murphy’s and Kwik Trip) to Fairfax Street on the south, is used by so many cars that it’s easy to forget that it’s a route through a private parking lot, not a public thoroughfare. According to the Leader-Telegram, the city’s Community Development Department has determined that nearby streets should be able to handle the extra traffic if the shortcut is domed-off. Owner David Berg told the L-T that the dome will help Wagner’s accommodate booming volleyball leagues, which have expanded from 10 to 78 teams in just two years. Berg’s decision to go ahead with the project was contingent on Plan Commission approval, so now the dome could be coming in the near future.