Board of Trustees Approve Three New Athletics Facilities

The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved the construction of three athletic related capital projects, a Student-Athlete Success Center, a basketball practice facility and a baseball and track indoor training facility, as part of the agenda of their regularly scheduled meeting held Friday in Little Rock. The Board also approved the selection of architect/engineer design and construction manager/general contractor teams for the new facilities being constructed as part of the Athletics Facilities Master Plan.

"We are pleased to be moving forward with these important projects as part of the second phase of the Athletic Facilities Master Plan," Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. "The student-athlete success center and basketball practice facility will help us match the facilities of competing institutions while our baseball and track indoor training facility will help us lead the national trend. We are appreciative of the continued support of our Board of Trustees as we strategically plan and build facilities that are essential to the future success of our program."

The projects will be funded entirely by athletic revenues, gifts, and bond proceeds from a future bond issue. No University funds will be required to complete the projects. A timeline for the projects has not been established and will be contingent on successful fund raising efforts.

The Student-Athlete Success Center would serve as the new home to the Bogle Academic Center and the department's career development and student-athlete development programs. The Bogle Academic Center, currently located in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, was constructed when men's and women's athletics were separate departments.

The proposed Student-Athlete Success center would help address the academic, nutritional, personal and professional development of more than 460 student-athletes in a 47,000-58,000 square foot facility, creating an integrated academic support program focused on graduation of all student-athletes at the University of Arkansas. The facility would accommodate multiple learning environments including academic advising and course preparation, leadership training through the Razorback Leadership Academy, career planning and service learning. The center would also house student-athlete educational programs designed to foster healthy life choices and maximize performance through nutrition.

The facility would include tutorial rooms, group study rooms, quiet study areas, a computer lab, and learning laboratories focused on mathematics, sciences, and language skills as well as a 500-seat auditorium, which could be made available to campus for special events. It will be located across from the HPER building, east of the John McDonnell Outdoor Track.

To support the health of student-athletes and meet the specialized needs of sports nutrition, a dining hall and a full-service kitchen would be integral components of the building. The facility would also include offices for the sports psychologist, nutritionist, and student-athlete development staff. The total project cost of the student-athlete success center is currently estimated at $18-23 million.

WD&D (Little Rock and Fayetteville) will work with Heery International, Inc. (Atlanta, Ga.) on the design of the facility. VCC (Little Rock) will be the construction manager and general contractor on the Student-Athlete Success Center.

The basketball practice facility would be located south of Leroy Pond Road, between Bogle Park and the Gardens, across from Bud Walton Arena. The approximately 70,000-85,000 square foot facility would include all operational components for the men's and women's basketball teams. The building will include separate gymnasiums for the men's and women's teams, which is now standard among Division I-A basketball programs. In addition to two full courts with side baskets, the building will house locker rooms for men and women, weight rooms, training rooms and associated office areas, coaching staff suites, meeting rooms, team lounge, and a museum component for recruiting purposes and for highlighting the achievements of the basketball program. The total project cost of the basketball practice facility is currently estimated at $20-25 million.

MAHG Architecture (Fort Smith) and Populous (Kansas City, Mo.) will lead the design team on the basketball practice facility while CDI Constructors (Fayetteville and Little Rock) will serve as the general contractor.

The proposed location for the baseball and track indoor training facility is on the north side of the existing Randal Tyson Track Center. The facility would provide 40,000-45,000 square feet of climate-controlled practice space, including a practice infield, throwing area, batting areas, and ancillary team spaces. The facility would allow all throwing events in SEC or NCAA Championships to be held in the new facility. Currently the weight throw is contested at the Walker Pavilion. In addition, the baseball and track indoor training facility would feature a shared strength and conditioning space and training room for both programs. This facility would serve more than 150 student-athletes annually. The total project cost for the baseball and track indoor training facility is currently estimated at $7.75-$9.625 million.

Witsell Evans Rasco (Little Rock) will work in conjunction with HKS (Dallas, Texas) on the design of the baseball and track indoor training facility. Kinco Constructors (Little Rock, Springdale) will be the general contractor on the project.

Unveiled in October 2011, the Razorback Athletic Facilities Master Plan provided a vision and the road map for $320 million of facility renovations and additions that will help all 19 Razorback sports remain competitive in the Southeastern Conference and nationally over the next 30 years. The first major project from the master plan, the football center, is currently being constructed with a targeted completion date in 2013.