Iowa's new football facility remains on schedule

IOWA CITY - The second phase of Iowa's new $55 million football center remains on schedule despite the rough spring weather stalling some construction efforts, senior associate athletics director Jane Meyer said Thursday.

This 72,000-square foot addition includes football offices, a 21,000-square foot strength and conditioning center, a 2,100-square foot players lounge with computer stations, a 4,500-square foot locker room, a 185-seat meeting room and locker rooms. There also will be a public viewing area along with video displays and an interactive kiosk for fans on gameday.

The department has raised nearly $30 million privately toward the project, which should be completed by fall 2014. The indoor practice facility, which was finished last summer, will have a new brick facade, Meyer said at the monthly Presidential Committee on Athletics meeting.

Iowa's scoreboards at Kinnick Stadium are receiving a $9 million face-lift. The new HD video board is capable of live in-game stats, video replays and advertising in the north end zone. The clock will remain digital, and the improvements will be complete by football season.

“We've been talking about it for a while,” Meyer said. “The technologies have changed significantly.

“There were also some mechanical parts on it that were starting to fail us. It became worse this past season.”

Iowa is replacing the field hockey playing surface at Grant Field for $1.8 million.

“We determined after their fall season that we needed to get that thing replaced,” Meyer said. “We have a nationally ranked team. They need to have state-of-the-art facilities, so we made that decision to replace it.”

As part of a shared cost with recreation services, Hawkeye Recreation and Tennis Center will receive new lights and a resurfacing for $825,000. On the horizon, the athletics department will split the cost with the academics and recreation departments on an estimated $15 million facility on the west campus for the marching band. That project has yet to be designed.

The department expects both its revenues and expenses to exceed original calculations but is projected to bring in about $500,000 more than it spends. Iowa's original athletics budget was for $80.62 million. The fiscal year closes June 30.