There has been a lot of talk lately about the upgrades and improvements we've made in our facilities the past few years and how that has been a big contributor to some of the on-field successes we've seen over the past year. The Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center was the first piece of the Athletics Village at the Roost to be completed and work is continuing on the other projects for the area including a parking garage, coaches support building, and tennis complex. Now is a great time for us to build because interest rates are low and bids are coming back roughly 20% less than expected. The department can save money to reinvest in other areas. For example, the bid for the tennis complex came back $1 million lower than expected and renegotiating Colonial Life Arena bonds saved $75,000 annually. Some priorities moving forward include a new football video board and improvements to the football practice fields and softball stadium. I got to wondering about the work behind the scenes that goes into making these projects happen.
I sat down with Executive Associate Athletics Director Kevin O'Connell who oversees all of our building projects to find out more about how the process works and how the athletics department goes about building new facilities. All of our proposed building projects have to go through an extensive approval process. O'Connell explained the process to me step by step using the Farmers Market renovation project as an example.
There are two Phases in the approval process. Phase 1 is initial approval for the project to be investigated further (e.g. hiring an architect, verifying the estimated cost, etc.) The proposal first goes to the Building and Grounds Committee of the university Board of Trustees. The general concept of the proposal at that point is, "we want to develop the Farmers Market and here is what we think it will cost." After the Building and Grounds Committee approves it, the project goes to the full Board of Trustees for approval. Next, the project must go before three individual state boards in the following order: the Council on Higher Education, the Joint Bond Review Committee, and the Budget and Control Board. Again, Phase 1 of the approval process is all to approve just the initial stages of the project. After Phase 1 approval was granted for the Farmers Market project, we began a selection process where we advertise for conceptual plans from architectural and engineering firms. A selection committee, including representatives from the Board of Trustees, campus construction, and the athletics department among others, select the winning firm. In the case of the Farmers Market, that was Cox and Dinkins, a company located here in Columbia. Their architects and engineers develop a conceptual plan and verify the initial estimate, then the project must go back through the entire approval sequence again, which is Phase 2.
Phase 2 goes in the exact same order as Phase 1, only now it is a schematic plan from the architect as well as a verified estimated cost. In October 2010, the Farmers Market project was approved by the Building and Grounds Committee and then the full Board of Trustees of the university. It was then sent to the Council on Higher Education, then to Joint Bond Review Committee in early December. The final step in the approval process came on December 14th as the Budget and Control Board approved the project and the funding.
Now that the project has received final approval we can move forward with the work on the Farmers Market renovation and development. O'Connell explained how the plan has been laid out so the work can be completed without impacting football parking accommodations. Prior to the 2011 football season, the current buildings on the Farmers Market lot will be demolished or sold as surplus. It's a careful process as the buildings and lots are tested for asbestos and other hazardous materials, which impact how they can be removed. For the 2011 football season, the area will be flattened out into basically a 53 acre parking lot. After the 2011 football season the area will be developed and be ready for the 2012 football season as a state of the art football parking and tailgating area.
From the fan perspective, the plans for the lot look amazing. O'Connell explained how the athletics department and the Gamecock Club consulted with members when developing the plans. The university's Moore School of Business helped out by conducting an online survey that garnered over 500 responses from Gamecock Club members from a variety of levels and parking areas. The survey helped identify several priority areas (e.g. ample trash receptacles, permanent restrooms, landscaping/shaded areas) that were addressed in the plans. O'Connell says the new Farmers Market lot will have 661 trees, one every 40 feet, and provide 3,009 parking spaces (comprised of VIP, permanent, and temporary parking areas), approximately the same as the current number of available spaces. Most spaces are 10'x18' with a 10'x10' tent area. The Farmers Market will also have several additional uses beyond just football parking, including possibly being used for hosting other outdoors events, an indoor football facility, commercial development, intramural fields, and more in the future.
Brittany Lane, Spurs Up Blog
I sat down with Executive Associate Athletics Director Kevin O'Connell who oversees all of our building projects to find out more about how the process works and how the athletics department goes about building new facilities. All of our proposed building projects have to go through an extensive approval process. O'Connell explained the process to me step by step using the Farmers Market renovation project as an example.
There are two Phases in the approval process. Phase 1 is initial approval for the project to be investigated further (e.g. hiring an architect, verifying the estimated cost, etc.) The proposal first goes to the Building and Grounds Committee of the university Board of Trustees. The general concept of the proposal at that point is, "we want to develop the Farmers Market and here is what we think it will cost." After the Building and Grounds Committee approves it, the project goes to the full Board of Trustees for approval. Next, the project must go before three individual state boards in the following order: the Council on Higher Education, the Joint Bond Review Committee, and the Budget and Control Board. Again, Phase 1 of the approval process is all to approve just the initial stages of the project. After Phase 1 approval was granted for the Farmers Market project, we began a selection process where we advertise for conceptual plans from architectural and engineering firms. A selection committee, including representatives from the Board of Trustees, campus construction, and the athletics department among others, select the winning firm. In the case of the Farmers Market, that was Cox and Dinkins, a company located here in Columbia. Their architects and engineers develop a conceptual plan and verify the initial estimate, then the project must go back through the entire approval sequence again, which is Phase 2.
Phase 2 goes in the exact same order as Phase 1, only now it is a schematic plan from the architect as well as a verified estimated cost. In October 2010, the Farmers Market project was approved by the Building and Grounds Committee and then the full Board of Trustees of the university. It was then sent to the Council on Higher Education, then to Joint Bond Review Committee in early December. The final step in the approval process came on December 14th as the Budget and Control Board approved the project and the funding.
Now that the project has received final approval we can move forward with the work on the Farmers Market renovation and development. O'Connell explained how the plan has been laid out so the work can be completed without impacting football parking accommodations. Prior to the 2011 football season, the current buildings on the Farmers Market lot will be demolished or sold as surplus. It's a careful process as the buildings and lots are tested for asbestos and other hazardous materials, which impact how they can be removed. For the 2011 football season, the area will be flattened out into basically a 53 acre parking lot. After the 2011 football season the area will be developed and be ready for the 2012 football season as a state of the art football parking and tailgating area.
From the fan perspective, the plans for the lot look amazing. O'Connell explained how the athletics department and the Gamecock Club consulted with members when developing the plans. The university's Moore School of Business helped out by conducting an online survey that garnered over 500 responses from Gamecock Club members from a variety of levels and parking areas. The survey helped identify several priority areas (e.g. ample trash receptacles, permanent restrooms, landscaping/shaded areas) that were addressed in the plans. O'Connell says the new Farmers Market lot will have 661 trees, one every 40 feet, and provide 3,009 parking spaces (comprised of VIP, permanent, and temporary parking areas), approximately the same as the current number of available spaces. Most spaces are 10'x18' with a 10'x10' tent area. The Farmers Market will also have several additional uses beyond just football parking, including possibly being used for hosting other outdoors events, an indoor football facility, commercial development, intramural fields, and more in the future.
Brittany Lane, Spurs Up Blog
nice brit! keep the good job up!
The plans look great, but I'd really like you to consider the availability of electricity and cable connections for at least some of the spaces. I think it would add relatively little to the cost and would be very popular and allow a higher cost for fans using it.
The plans look great! I thought the original plans included parking for RVs with hookups and electricity. What happened?
Also, for your reference, it's the "Commission" on Higher Education, not the "Council" on Higher Education.