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The University of Maine will spend $14 million for a long-delayed project that will make extensive renovations to the Field House and Memorial Gymnasium.
After the university received $7 million in state appropriation funds specifically intended to address safety problems and modernize the building, officials close to the plans put the stamp of approval on the overdue project, according to Steve Abbott, UMaine’s interim athletic director.
The overall vision, Abbott said, is to give the Field House back the atmosphere and school spirit it once enjoyed. Currently, the Field House serves as the indoor home of the men’s and women’s track and field teams, as well as a training facility for several other Black Bear sports programs. It is also where the men’s and women’s basketball teams practice.
Renovations will include a face-lift for all athletic grounds within the building, such as the basketball court, the track and the gym. Other plans include the addition of office space inside the complex and superficial touch-ups to existing spaces.
Abbott said the university plans to obtain the $7 million still needed to start the project through a sustained series of fundraising efforts throughout Maine.
“We’ll seek fundraising across the state, but it will also come from smaller donors — our network of alumni will be especially important,” he said. “We hope that by touching a chord with any alumni who can remember when the Field House was more emblematic of school spirit that we’ll be able to gather significant support.”
A plaque on the corner of the building dates the Field House to 1933. In its fledgling years, it was nothing more than a dirt field.
In recent years, the building has lost its place among the glory of UMaine athletics. Once an uproarious hub for sports and events on campus, Abbott said today the building is in dire need of renovations. He said the current run-down condition of the facility may even be affecting the success of the basketball teams, both of which hold practice in the Memorial Gym and official games in the Alfond Arena.
“In the ‘70s, Sports Illustrated released an issue that ranked UMaine basketball as having the fifth best home-court advantage in the country,” he said. “Now, they don’t even practice where they play their home games.”
Aside from restoring a historic on-campus landmark to its former glory, renovations to the facility will also help alleviate some scheduling issues that have arisen between the basketball and hockey teams. Currently, the men’s and women’s teams of both basketball and ice hockey share the Alfond Arena for games, and the ice hockey teams need practice time in the arena. This situation has proved especially problematic as both sports’ seasons take place during the winter months.
“They’re splitting time between games and practice with the Alfond Arena and sharing that space with the hockey team,” Abbott said. “For scheduling, it’s a logistics problem. We want to remove the burden from the equation and give our basketball teams back that home-court advantage.”
In addition to benefits for the basketball team, Abbott said there were a number of factors involved in the decision to proceed with renovations. He said many of the athletic personnel working for the various teams are in cramped trailers behind the Field House. After the renovations, these offices would be moved into the Memorial Gym complex.
Abbott also noted the number of university and community events held at the facility. The renovations would leave participants with a better impression of the university and its athletic programs.
“There will be a lot done when the project actually gets going. It’s really going to benefit the UMaine community, but the goal is to elevate the Field House to where some of our newer buildings are at,” Abbott said.
