More buidlings may be in future for Athletics
Athletics director Scott Barns presented the potential construction of an Athletics Competition and Practice Facility (ACPF) to the executive council in Wednesday’s ASUSU meeting.
The facility will provide the basketball teams with an alternate place to practice and volleyball will have a court to call their own.
The 28,000 square-foot building will cost approximately $7.5 million.
“This is not funded,” Athletics Director Scott Barnes said. “We are raising the money ourselves, but we have a lead gift that would be the biggest gift this program has ever been given.”
Barnes presented the idea to ASUSU’s executive council Wednesday, seeking the members’ approval before looking into the project any further. ASUSU President Tyler Tolson held an unofficial vote to show the members’ support for the idea, which was unanimous. Because of this vote of approval, Barnes said he will continue analyzing potential sites for the competition and practice facility.
“I was looking out my window one day and I saw the basketball team piling in a van going to Logan High to practice,” Barnes said. “As the university grows, practice time becomes limited.”
This idea was proposed at the most recent Board of Trustees meeting, and possible locations for the building have been discussed. If the building is approved for construction, Barnes said he would ideally have it be placed in a lot just west of the Spectrum, south of the Harris Center (HAC.)
“We are talking about taking down the Harris building,” Barnes said. “It’s beyond repair.”
If the Harris building is knocked down, Barnes said he would like to see the lot turned into more parking for the new facility. However, if this lot does not allow the ACPF building to share utilities with the Spectrum through an underground route, Barnes said he and his committee on the project will look into other options.
Their next best idea is to replace the HAC with the ACPF, he said. In this situation, the faculty and staff who now have their offices in the HAC will be given new offices in the ACPF. Remaining options include lots on the north side of the HPER field.
Currently, the design for the building is a rough sketch that Barnes said is not overly technical.
The issue of the Tier II tuition hike was brought up by Tolson who encouraged council members to collaborate and find ideas to make the university’s tight finances less painful for students. A committee on the matter is meeting to formulate the best way to make a difference in students’ academic lives by alleviating the financial burdens that may come.
“We have not felt the full effects of last year’s budget cuts,” said Brent Crosby, ASUSU executive vice president. “This could mean larger class sizes and cuts in our programs and activities.”
When money from the stimulus has been used to propel USU, the effects will be seen more definitely, Crosby said.
Athletics Vice President Alex Putnam said at the meeting that USU has 300 tickets for this year’s WAC tournament in Last Vegas that will commence over spring break. The tickets will be sold in the Athletics’ ticket office in the Spectrum from 2-5 p.m.
There is no student deal for a ticket package and tickets must be paid for with a credit card. He said if Aggie men’s basketball wins a game, the next game will be charged onto the credit card. If the team loses, charges will stop. Each game will cost $18 for USU students. A student package for hotel accommodations and transportation are in the making, Putnam said.
– catherine.meidell@aggiemail.usu.edu