The chief executive of the sports association informed the facilities and development committee on Monday morning ahead of this week’s full board meeting, which marks the conclusion of the year.
Brooks addressed the gathering, “We’re still looking good for everything being on schedule for the season.” “On the southwest corner, the new suites and press box will be finished, and the previous press box will become a new premium (donor) area.
In honor of the year the stadium opened, Brooks disclosed that the new donor section, which is replacing the Dan Magill Press Box in the club-level area, will be known as the “1929 Club.” A recent finance committee report states that the football program has seen an increase in revenue as a result of season ticket holders’ desire to fulfill donation requirements in order to be eligible for sitting in the new area.
According to Brooks, “seat selection for that area went really well.” Therefore, we’re quite eager to launch this year’s best luxury area in the stadium. Although it is still in progress, the project will be finished on schedule.
In the southwest corner of Sanford Stadium, a tower addition is being constructed to house a new press box. This is the second phase of a $68.5 million renovation project that got underway in 2022. Additionally, UGA is upgrading its refrigeration system to enable alcohol sales at the stadium in the autumn. The costs for that were not immediately known.
Georgia is now working on a $38.5 million softball field house at Jack Turner Stadium outside left field, and just finished completing a $26.7 million indoor tennis facility that is already in operation. According to Brooks, that project is expected to be finished in October.
As soon as the season concludes, phase two of a $48 million rehabilitation and expansion project for UGA’s baseball field will commence. The Diamond Dogs have finished their regular season, but they still have hopes of hosting a regional tournament and potentially earning a spot in the top eight when the NCAA Tournament starts at the end of the month.
“the’s a good secret to success: You try to plan construction work to start after a season ends and, in the end, what happens is the club will play in the postseason for as long as possible,” joked Brooks. “So, it’s been a useful generalization.”
In addition, Brooks stated that work on the recently authorized track and field complex on South Milledge Avenue will start in August and be completed by spring 2026. $59.8 million will be spent on that project. It was recently that the $2 million “Champions Rotunda” within Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall opened.
Brooks informed the committee, “This has obviously been a very busy, busy time for us with facilities.” “Some projects are coming to an end, some are in the process of completion, and some are about to begin. Thus, this has been perhaps our busiest period ever from a facilities perspective during the last six months and the upcoming six or twelve months.
For those who are keeping track, as the state Board of Regents undoubtedly is, those continuing sports facility improvements total more than $240 million. A brand-new video board and a VIP donor section for basketball fans at Stegeman Coliseum are also scheduled to open soon. In that 60-year-old structure, which the sports department leases, the university has already invested almost $9 million to fix the internal ceiling, fix the roof, and make other upgrades.
All of these Regents-approved projects require UGA to raise at least half of the construction costs upfront. Although Brooks stated that fundraising is “doing well,” he added he will give an update at this week’s board meeting.
