McNeese arena survives budget cuts
Published 10:00 pm Wednesday, March 23, 2016
While state projects all over Louisiana are getting slashed with the budget ax, a new on-campus home for McNeese State basketball looks to be steaming forward.
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Gov. John Bel Edwards seemed to say so Thursday.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">During a news conference, Edwards said some projects that were already started would continue on college campuses. He then specifically referred to a building that has yet to be started at McNeese as the only one that is set to go ahead despite not having begun construction.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“I believe there is only one project where we are at the point where the bids came back in and they were at or below budget, in fact they were below budget,” Edwards said. “I will tell you this was on McNeese State University. It is a building that will be constructed there.”</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">According to several McNeese sources, the only major building project planned for campus is the new sports area, which will also be the home of the Heath and Human Performance Department.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The building, a $40.5 million project that was planned to have a 4,100-seat arena inside, is funded in part by the H.C. Drew Foundation.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Candace Townsend, a spokeswoman for McNeese, said, “I have not gotten anything to my knowledge on the status of that project, so I can’t confirm it either way. If it’s true, it would be very good news for us.”</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The project was in question after Edwards talked about slashing the state’s budget after he took office in January.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">McNeese was hoping to use the new arena to bring new fans and added revenue to campus overall and the athletic department specifically through the sale of advertising, concessions and other possible marketing avenues.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Both men’s basketball coach Dave Simmons and women’s coach Brooks Donald Williams have been using the hope of a new arena to recruit players.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Drawings of the arena have been on display at McNeese State home games for most of the season, though they were not seen at the season’s finale in Burton Coliseum.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Now it seems they can be put back up thanks to Edwards’ comments.</span>
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<p class="p1">Follow Jim Gazzolo on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/JimAmPress">twitter.com/JimAmPress</a>
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