THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996 TAG: 9604120742
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
After five years of planning and political machinations, it is now official: Old Dominion University will build a 10,000-seat on-campus arena.
While the General Assembly authorized the facility last month, the final hurdle was cleared late Wednesday when Gov. George F. Allen acted on the budget bill. Allen did not amend the portion of the bill that granted ODU the authority to build a convocation center.
By next century, the Monarchs will play basketball in an arena on Hampton Boulevard between 43rd and 45th streets that will cost $40 million.
David Harnage, ODU's vice president for administration and finance, said the best-case scenario is for groundbreaking in the summer of 1997. The earliest the facility could open is 2000, he said.
``All of this is speculation,'' Harnage said. ``A lot could change on a project like this.''
The facility will be paid for primarily through student fees. ODU has been collecting student fees for the project since September 1992.
President James Koch said it could be two years before construction begins. Now that ODU has final approval, Koch said land acquisition, planning what specifically should go in the building and retaining an architect can begin. After that, bids from contractors will be sought.
Some businesses and residents will be displaced by the arena project, which is the cornerstone of ODU's planned 75-acre expansion east of Hampton Boulevard. The project also includes a $10 million parking deck.
``We are partners with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority,'' Koch said. ``They will be the agency actually acquiring the land, and then we'll acquire it from them.''
Koch said the arena will improve a deteriorating area and will be used for graduation ceremonies, concerts and lectures as well as basketball.
``Most people think of it as an athletic facility, and it certainly will be that,'' Koch said. ``But its significance goes way beyond that.
``We're anxious to improve the environment. That will help us in many ways in terms of recruiting students and recruiting and retaining faculty.''
The on-campus arena is a separate project from the 20,000-seat arena Hampton Roads municipalities have proposed in an attempt to lure a professional sports franchise. ODU helped pay for a study by Brailsford Associates and HOK Sports to determine if the university and city could use the same facility.
``They came back and said maybe the region would be better off building separate facilities,'' Koch said. ``We didn't argue with that conclusion.''
Athletic director Jim Jarrett said an on-campus facility will help ODU market the program, increase student attendance at games and enable the Monarchs to host NCAA tournament women's basketball regionals. It would not be large enough to host men's events.
The Lady Monarchs play in the 4,800-seat ODU field house while the men play at Scope.
Every team in the Colonial Athletic Association except the Monarchs and Virginia Commonwealth plays in an on-campus arena. VCU is breaking ground April 23 on an on-campus arena expected to be completed by 1998.
Jarrett and Koch said the ODU men may begin playing more games at the field house in coming seasons to get fans accustomed to coming to campus for games. Jarrett called the significance of an on-campus arena ``huge'' for the program.
``It brings the basketball games back on the campus, where we need to be,'' Jarrett said. ``It means students are here when we play our games and they can walk out of Greek housing or dorms and walk to the games.
``Both teams are going to be able to practice where they play. We're going to have atmosphere in that building we can't really have at Scope.''
ODU coach Jeff Capel said atmosphere and student participation in an on-campus arena will be big selling points for the program. Capel said the arena will be a good recruiting tool in a couple of years.
``But there's gotta be steel in the ground first,'' Capel said. ``The kids who are sophomores in high school now are the ones we'll be selling on it.''
ODU, meanwhile, will be trying to sell donors on the project. Some of the amenities the building will have - luxury boxes, Diamondvision screen, advanced sound system and meeting and hospitality rooms - may hinge on the depth of financial backing by supporters.
And ODU hopes someone with deep pockets will want to be the arena's title donor.
``Hopes, yes,'' Koch said. ``Commitments, no.'' ILLUSTRATION: Map
by CNB