Kansas State Univ. on Saturday unveiled plans for a $65M renovation to the north end of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, which will "more than double the size of the Wildcats’ Vanier Football Complex and enclose the stadium," according to Kellis Robinett of the K.C. STAR. It also will "add 1,000 seats behind the stadium’s north end zone as well as video boards to the northeast and northwest corners." The privately funded project was originally expected to cost $50M, but that amount "grew during the planning process." K-State AD John Currie said that roughly 70% of the funds needed for the renovation "have been raised." Currie: "It's a huge step forward for us." Robinett reported K-State will "break ground on the project" immediately after its final home football game on Nov. 29. Most of the construction will be done for the '15 home opener, but "portions of the northeast section and video board will not be completed" until '16. The "main perks" for K-State football players will be an "expanded weight room, a new locker room, larger meeting areas and more video rooms." Other highlights include "improved offices for coaches and a larger academic center." K-State also said that fans will "get additional seating, improved sight lines and better access to restrooms." K-State's facility improvements thus far have totaled $125M (K.C. STAR, 4/27). Currie said, "We’ve been in every building in the Big 12 in the last five years, and then we’ve been around the country in a lot of different buildings. We tried to take things that we saw that we liked, and cobble together the best of all to make our building a building that reflects who we are -- its going to be extremely functional and stand the test of time” (MANHATTAN MERCURY, 4/27).
