Marion County Capital Improvement BOD Exec Dir Andy Mallon said that renovations to Bankers Life Fieldhouse totaling $362M remain "on schedule" despite some "initial trepidation that the coronavirus pandemic would delay construction and add an additional year" past the October '22 deadline, according to Akeem Glaspie of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Mallon said that "there had been 'a handful' of workers that tested positive for COVID-19 at the construction site, but they have not been back to the building, and there have not been any work stoppages because of the coronavirus." Because the arena is unoccupied with the Pacers playing in the Orlando bubble, other improvements have taken place that were "initially part of later phases of the renovation." Phase One focused on renovations inside Bankers Life such as "refurbished club seating and suites, renovated upper and lower bowls and two additional club seating areas" totaling $130M. Mallon said that officials have escalated $30M into the renovation this year to "finish projects while the arena is empty." The scoreboard will cost $4.3M, with "completion set for mid-October." It will measure 20 by 52.5 feet, and it "provides an additional 10 feet of video panels" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/14).
