The Univ. of Colorado "plans to break ground May 12" on its $143M football facilities project that school officials "have called transformational," according to Kyle Ringo of the Boulder DAILY CAMERA. The school had "hoped to conduct the groundbreaking in conjunction" with the spring game on Saturday, but was "unable to raise" the funding on time. The CU Board of Regents "mandated that one-third in private donations be reached before moving forward." But CU is "close enough in those efforts" that AD Rick George, Chancellor Phil DiStefano and President Bruce Benson "felt comfortable enough to commit to the May 12 date." The school also "stopped short of committing to complete the full project" by August '15 as originally planned. CU Associate AD & SID Dave Plati said that if there is "any part of the project that has to be scaled back or won't be done at all, those decisions will be made in the next month." The project includes a "permanent indoor practice facility for the football team," which also will feature an indoor track that will be a "huge boost to the six track and field and cross country teams." The school also will "remodel much of the Dal Ward Center and enclose the northeast corner" of Folsom Field "with the addition of a building that will house much of the athletic department as well as a more than 21,000 square feet dedicated to a high-performance sports center" (Boulder DAILY CAMERA, 4/12).
BORN ON THE BAYOU: In Louisiana, Sean Isabella noted Louisiana Tech on Saturday broke ground on a $20M-plus "south end zone project" at Joe Aillet Stadium. Site work is "supposed to start this week on the 70,000-square-foot facility, which will enclose the south end." The complex is "expected to be finished" by August '15. The "actual price tag" for the construction is $18M, which was "made possible thanks to donations and a student fee." Louisiana Tech AD Tommy McClelland said that the construction cost is 100% funded, but the school is "still seeking out money for the actual furnishings." The complex will cost about $21-22M "once completed." West Monroe, La.-based architecture firm TBA Studios "helped design the project" (Monroe NEWS STAR, 4/13).
