STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State is inching forward with the Beaver Stadium renovation and plans to keep the stadium’s capacity above 100,000.
According to the Board of Trustees’ agenda posted on the university’s website Friday, the trustees next week will discuss the proposed authorization to expend funds for design costs, consultant expenses and permits for the stadium renovation. The expectation is that the athletic department will ask the board for $70 million next week for those costs. The price tag for the renovation — which per the agenda is focused on the stadium’s west side — is not to exceed $700 million. No tuition money will be used for the renovation and revenue from intercollegiate athletics will pay for the debt, per the agenda.
Here’s what you need to know:
- New restrooms, upgraded concessions, premium seating on the west side and improved spectator circulation throughout the building are among the priorities. A new press box is also part of the plan.
- Penn State is working in phases and prioritizing immediate needs for the stadium, including stadium winterization costs. This is going to be a process and the stadium’s west side is where the majority of the utilities are located. The renovation will address as much of the current facility maintenance needs as possible.
- The need to widen the stadium’s concourse has long been a talking point and the flow of people in and out of the building should be addressed with the renovation.
- Field lighting will also be improved to meet NCAA standards, per the agenda.
Other important things to know
Don’t expect this to be the entire scope of the renovation. Penn State knows that $700 million is the top-end figure that they can afford, so by working in phases, they can better plan and adjust along the way. For now, there is no announced timeline for when renovations would start.
Here are some of the other notable items on next week’s agenda:
- Facilities have been a hot topic, and with Holuba Hall serving as the indoor facility for 31 varsity sports, it’s been described as a pain point. On the agenda is the proposed project approval for an indoor practice air-supported structure. During athletic director Pat Kraft’s time at Boston College, which also had 31 varsity teams, they too had a bubble that allowed all teams to practice indoors. Adding one here has been on his mind since he took the job.
- The proposal is for a 106,000-square-foot structure that will be used seasonally for the school’s varsity Olympic sports teams and would be funded by athletics. It would be located Southeast of Jeffrey Field and would be taken down and put up every year. The price tag will not exceed $9.8 million.
- The next phase of the Lasch Football Building renovation will include renovated offices and meeting spaces on the second floor. With football staff sizes growing, this would accommodate staff who are currently sharing offices, per the agenda. The proposal also includes an expansion over the patio which would create new event space. The price is not to exceed $22 million and would be funded exclusively by athletics.
- The Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex has been used as swing space since 2014, but a proposal would give the building back to athletics. The proposal would turn the 38,000-square-foot area into a home base for all athletes. Training tables would be available for all athletes there and it would also include recovery spaces. It would be connected to the Morgan Academic Center. The project would be funded exclusively by athletics and would not exceed $31.9 million.
- A proposal to improve Jeffrey Field and the soccer complex — complete with a team lounge, public restrooms, offices for coaches, strength and conditioning equipment — comes with a price not to exceed $21, 250,000. Currently, soccer is headquartered across campus in Rec Hall and eliminating the cross-campus trek for the teams has been a priority for Kraft. It would also be funded by athletics.
Required reading
(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
