Friday, October 15, 2010

Longing for Pit renovation

UMaine announced today that it has received a $5.5 million challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation for renovations at Alfond Arena and the planned renovation of Memorial Gym, aka, The Pit.

Of the $5.5 million, $2 million is a challenge grant for the $14 million renovation of Memorial Gym and Field House. A written release did not specify how much has been raised to date for the project.

Plans include a renovated facility to serve as home to the men's and women's basketball teams, replacement of the indoor track, renovated athletics department office space and other modifications, said the university.

The rest of the grant goes to renovations planned for the arena, which will continue to serve as home of the hoops teams for the foreseeable future.

Renovation work will begin at Alfond Arena later this fall. No time frame for work on The Pit was announced.

Now, if I could just win the Powerball ... UMaine would, in short order, be able to hold another press conference announcing a new home for UMaine hoops.

3 comments:

MattT said...

When UMaine severed ties with WZON they made a colossal mistake. Stephen and Tabitha King were very generous donors and fans of basketball. We'd be a heck of a lot closer to having a renovated Pit if the University had valued that relationship.

Jonathan Dumont said...

dan, i've been saying for a long time that my life goal is to win the powerball and donate a crapton of money to athletics at umaine. my first order of business, to rename the pit the "Mike Maberry Danger Zone". Inside joke between some friends and I.

Dan King said...

Yep, I'd make the men's and women's hoop programs/facilities the envy of America East and, not long after that, buy myself a plane and a pilot for the ride up to every game at The Pit. Dream a little dream.