The Univ. of Minnesota Board of Regents is expected to give its "stamp of approval on a plan to build athletic facilities and upgrade others when they meet Oct. 8-9," according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The project "will cost more than" $100M, with close to $80M having been raised so far. The balance "will be raised by floating bonds that the administration might have to back, but will be paid for by revenue earned by the Gophers men’s and women’s athletic department." The full “athletics village” has been projected to cost $190M, but the actual total cost "could be lower when new bids come in." In addition to approving the facilities package, the Board of Regents "will vote in favor of building a Gophers baseball building." The money for that building, some $1.325M, "has been raised by baseball coach John Anderson and former Gophers players, such as Baseball HOFer Paul Molitor and Twins P Glen Perkins. The building is to be "erected on the land near the current baseball stadium and will cover 6,000 square feet." Construction is "expected to start once bids are in." The Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex and the Bierman Field Athletic Building "will be remodeled." A new track for the women’s and men’s teams is "definitely in the plans," however, the site "hasn’t been solidified yet" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/1).
