New athletic center underway
A new addition to the University of Indianapolis, Student Athletics and Recreation Center (SARC) actually has undergone much more progress than what appears on the outside according to Physical Plant Director Ken Pipenbrink.
Construction crews have started site work, begun the foundation, set up underground utilities and secured the site with temporary fencing.
The original plan was to have the SARC finished by December 2010, but now it’s postponed to January 2011.
When the Super Bowl became involved, the physical plant had to redesign the building, making it 30 percent larger, which required new permits and put construction a month behind schedule.
Since the Super Bowl’s incorporation, their once tight budget, which required elimination of carpeting and extra space, is now available. Multiple teams will be able to perform activities with more space.
“It’s going to be bigger and better than what we thought,” Pipenbrink said. “Whatever delays…The benefits will definitely outweigh the downfalls.”
The new redesign allows for a much larger dome and for them to finish more areas instead of the partial finish before.
“Because of the Super Bowl’s involvement, the facility had to be larger to accommodate them,” said Athletics Director Sue Willey.“There’s now turf, a bigger venue for fans, an indoor track, multi- purpose space for intramurals, soccer or other activities or even a concert or dance.”
The 2011 NFC pre-Super Bowl teams now have a place to practice, which is the reason the Super Bowl got involved.
“Everyone thinks were getting tons of money because of this, but actually were just getting the money needed to accommodate the Super Bowl such as the turf and the larger dome,” Willey said.
Another new addition to the sports facilities is the construction of a new baseball diamond.
“We plan on having everything ready for the spring season,” Piepenbrink said. “Everything should be complete by the end of the year.”
