Rose Arena renovations taking shape, lobby, practice facility walls up
Construction at Rose Arena is beginning to reveal what the expanded $21.5-million CMU Events Center will look like.
The structural steel and precast concrete walls now in place are the beginning of the lobby and practice facilities. Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, said the construction is right on track.
“The structural steel is up and they’ve erected the precast concrete walls,” Lawrence said. “They are also installing roof trusses on the practice gym. Things are on schedule.”
Rose Arena-based athletics teams closed their home schedule Saturday when the gymnastics team beat Ball State, allowing interior work to get under way.
The lobby and arena portion of the project is still slated for completion in October 2010. The practice gym will be finished in December, Lawrence said.
Richard Yoon, a Troy sophomore, said the construction is looking good.
“I think they’re doing a great job trying to get it finished before basketball season,” Yoon said. “It’s starting to look like something now.”
The mild winter may have offered a helping hand. Lawrence said weather did not put construction behind schedule.
“The construction workers knew they would be working through the winter, but there were actually only a few bad snowstorms,” he said. “It was a much easier winter for construction than we’ve had in the past.”
Fitness expansion
The SAC fitness room expansion is not yet under way.
“The current wrestling practice room is going to be renovated and connected to the existing SAC fitness room,” Lawrence said.
Yoon said he frequently goes to the SAC to work out.
“I’m excited they’re expanding the fitness room, too. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished,” he said.
Lawrence said the extra room will provide an additional 4,700 square feet for the fitness room. It is an approximate 45 percent increase in space and should be complete by February 2011.
