Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508090010
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Don't be surprised if, within the next two months, Virginia announces plans to build a new basketball arena.
``Did I say that?'' Terry Holland, the Cavaliers' new athletic director, asked.
Well, not exactly, but that was the tone of his remarks Friday at his first news conference since taking office May 12.
By the end of August, Holland hopes to receive recommendations from an architectural firm specializing in arenas. After that, he wants to have a plan by the time UVa begins a capital campaign in October.
Holland said he wants to be careful and keep his options open, but clearly he does not favor a plan to renovate University Hall without making a significant increase in the seating capacity.
``To rebuild a University Hall that is not expandable would be tough for me to support personally,'' said Holland, the men's basketball coach at UVa from 1974-90.
Virginia officials have said in the past that enlarging 8,864-seat University Hall, built in 1965, would be almost impossible.
``Nobody's come up with a plan yet,'' Holland conceded.
If UVa were located in a large, metropolitan area and had easy access to corporate dollars, the decision would be easy. As it is, Holland said it would be necessary to find one major donor, for whom the new arena possibly would be named.
``I'd have to say 12 to 15 [thousand] makes sense for the University of Virginia at this stage,'' Holland said. ``I would hate to saddle future staffs with an arena that is too small, as we have been saddled in the past decade.''
Although Virginia's seating capacity is the lowest in the ACC, maybe the biggest problem with University Hall is an absence of office space.
``Our working conditions at University Hall are intolerable in certain circumstances,'' Holland said. ``They're unpleasant in others and they're not what we need representing the university.
``We've got a bad situation there. We cannot wait for a new arena to be built or any kind of long-term plan. We need to do something to University Hall quickly. The question is, how much do you do?''
In a plan presented to the media in the fall of 1993, UVa proposed a $20-million capital campaign for athletics that included $10 million for endowed scholarships and $10 million for a rebuilt University Hall.
``Somewhere along the line, as people got excited about the things that could be done to University Hall, we ended up with a project costing about $40 million,'' Holland said. ``That's when the university's administration said, "Wait a minute!' ''
A new arena probably would be built near University Hall, but University Hall probably would not be torn down, Holland said. That could cause space problems, especially in light of recent construction.
UVa recently took the Astroturf that became available when Scott Stadium was converted to natural grass and built a new field adjacent to University Hall that will be used for field hockey and lacrosse.
Both that field and Virginia's state-of-the-art soccer facility, Klockner Stadium, recently have received lights. UVa also hopes to open a new aquatics and fitness center in the next year.
``As concerned as I am about the facilities, we do have some facilities that set a standard,'' said Holland, who also mentioned a new intercollegiate softball field.
Holland said Virginia made a $38,000 profit during the just-completed fiscal year and was able to direct $300,000 toward its reserve fund. The Virginia Student Aid Foundation, which operates on a calendar year, has raised $4.19 million since Jan. 1.
``I've just touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I know about the workings of the department,'' said Holland. ``I'm going to make sure not to mess anything up until I find out exactly what's going on around here.''
by CNB