UA Board of Trustees approves design for new Alabama basketball practice facility
The UA System Board of Trustees voted to approve Stage III and Stage IV of the creation of Alabama basketball’s new practice facility on Thursday afternoon.
The vote approved the reallocation of the project budget and the proposed architectural design, as well as authorized the execution of a construction contract for the project. Below are some renderings revealed at the meeting of the proposed outside design of the facility, which will be both an expansion onto Coleman Coliseum as well as a renovation of existing space inside the facility.
The project has a total price tag of $58,674,625, unchanged from when the project was first announced and approved in June. The funding will come from future general revenue bonds ($36,949,625), crimson standard cash ($20,000,000) and university central reserves ($1,725,000), per the reallocated budget. Civilcon, LLC was announced as the company with the winning bid to take on the project, which will have a construction cost of $724 per square foot.
The 48,000 square foot expansion to the southeast corner of Coleman Coliseum and renovation of 19,000 square feet of existing space will add a new practice facility and weight room for the men’s basketball team, while renovating the existing practice facility to be taken over by the women’s team. The project will also include new sports medicine spaces, film and team meeting rooms, locker rooms, lounges, and coaching staff areas.
“Coach [Nate] Oats and Coach [Kristy] Curry are extremely supportive of this plan as a positive and valuable next step for their respective teams, and they’ve both expressed this is the highest priority at this time and the facility will meet an immediate need as we continue to work towards long-term priorities for our basketball programs,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said when the project was initially approved in June.
