Independence Day Facility Updates
As we prepare for the holiday weekend, here is a look at some of the new facilities in progress or just getting off the ground. If you are in the area, use your holiday break to go check them out!
ATLANTA, GA — The Zelnak Center, named after the lead gift providers Steve and Judy Zelnak, is scheduled to open in October on the Georgia Tech Campus. The center, which provides practice facilities for GT’s basketball teams, will connect to Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Zelnak, who it a GT alumnus, serves as the CEO for Martin Marietta Materials in Raleigh, North Carolina. The total cost for the facility is roughly $8 million. Other features of the facility are a 24-seat theater and a 2,500 square foot weight room. Pictures of construction progress are available here.
MADISON, WI — The University of Wisconsin volleyball team will have a new surface to play on this fall. Replacing the sport court in the UW Field House with a natural wood court, UW is conforming to the recent trends of most collegiate volleyball teams, who are returning to wood. With the money saved by not purchasing another sport court, the field house is also getting a facelift with new bleachers added to the project. The athletics department is also generating a little extra cash by selling framed photos of the construction process. For a link to the sale site, click here.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — One of the most well known basketball arenas in college basketball is undergoing renovations in an attempt to modernize its facility. The PIT, as it is known, has frequently been ranked as one of the top places to watch a college basketball game and is an incredible home-court advantage to the Lobos. The renovations can only continue that tradition. New locker rooms, donor lounges, suites, club seats, increased concession stands, along with a comprehensive signage package will all provide a better experience for Lobo fans as well as new opportunities for revenue generation for the department. The renovation is estimated at $60 million to complete. For more information, pictures, and news releases on the PIT, click here.
MIAMI, FL — Florida International University’s new Football Fieldhouse, opening this fall, will be named for R. Kirk Landon, based on his recent $1 million gift. The 50,000 square foot facility will include a 14,000 square foot weight room, new locker room space, coaches offices, a video theater, and an outdoor deck that will double as a suite for football games. Landon, who is a retired CEO of American Bankers Insurance Group, has also made donations to FIU’s School of Business. For more information on the Landon Fieldhouse, click here.