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April 25th, 2006, 07:01 AM
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FPage%2FWSJ_StandardIndex&c=Page&cid=1041611506842
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Site change has ASU field house going West
Mountaineers' AD says east side had drawbacks, west side had more room
By Tommy Bowman
JOURNAL REPORTER
BOONE
The location of a new field house to be built at Kidd Brewer Stadium - part of Appalachian State's $32 million athletics facilities-enhancement plan - has changed, Athletics Director Charlie Cobb of ASU said yesterday.
Plans now call for the 100,000 square-foot building, which will include weight and training rooms, locker rooms and office space, to be built behind the stadium's west (press-box side) stands.
It was announced last November that the structure would be behind the east stands.
Cobb said that the primary reason for the change is to allow space for possible future seating expansion to the smaller east-side seating structure.
"First and foremost, putting (the field house) behind the east stands would have landlocked us for down the road when demand warrants stadium expansion," Cobb said.
Two of the new building's five stories will rise above the west stands and include 20 suites and 500 club seats. The location of suites and club seats was another factor in the change, Cobb said.
"The more I listened to people talk about the issue of sun (bearing down on the east side) during games at certain times, we needed to be on the west side with the premium seating where the sun is behind and you're not facing into it," Cobb said.
He said that there is enough space behind the west-side seating structure to accommodate the new building.
"We'll have to carve a little bit into the hill, but it's amazing how much room is back there," Cobb said. "If you think about a 100,000 square foot building with five stories, that's 20,000 square feet (per floor). Going lengthwise goal line to goal line there's 300 feet, so the depth only needs to be 67 feet to get a 20,000 square-foot floor. There's ample room to do that."
Cobb said that he expects construction to begin after the coming football season and be complete by the 2008 season. Plans include the removal of the existing press box and use of a temporary press box for 2007.
The change in field-house plans is the second alteration from a plan originally scheduled to start after the 2004 football season. Cobb said that the new version won't alter the $32 million budget for the overall athletics facilities enhancement plan, to be financed by both student fees and private money.
He said that the consistent size of each of the building's five floors - as opposed to east-side plans that had called for various sizes for four floors - will help construction costs. He said that he expects to stay within a $24 million estimate for the building.
As part of the overall enhancement plan, Cobb said, the conversion of ASU's existing baseball stadium to a softball stadium should begin within the next 45 days. Plans remain for a new baseball stadium near Broyhill Inn and the construction of an indoor practice facility for outdoor sports near the new field house on space now used by baseball.
Cobb said that some cosmetic improvements to the stadium will begin within the next month and should be completed in time for the 2006 season. Upgrades to rest rooms and east-side stadium lighting are included, as well as bleacher seating in the north end zone (where Owens Field House will remain with plans for future renovation). Cobb said the end-zone seating could possibly accommodate the ASU band, enabling it to play to both sides of the stadium.
• Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at
[email protected]