AMES, Iowa – The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved Thursday a request from the Iowa State University Athletics Department to continue planning for Phase 2 of the Jack Trice Stadium renovation and enhancement project.
“We are pleased the Regents are allowing us to continue planning for the second phase of the stadium project,” Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “The Regents’ support permits our design team to further develop the stadium plans and our development team to actively pursue the necessary donations required to hopefully make this project a reality.”
Provided funding can be secured to support the business plan, the second phase of the work at Jack Trice Stadium would include:
- Upgrading the east concourse concession / restroom buildings
- Replacing and expanding the existing south end zone seating, which includes a potential upper deck
- Developing new operations, maintenance and storage areas (under the south end zone section)
- Addressing exterior fencing and various deferred maintenance issues at the facility
"We have overhauled the west side of the stadium, including doubling the width of the concourse and building new concessions and restroom buildings,” Pollard said of the $19.5 million Phase 1 project that will be completed this August. “We believe it is important to our fans that we provide the similar new amenities on both sides of the stadium, so upgrading the east concourse is the next priority at Jack Trice Stadium once we secure the necessary funding.”
The south end zone work would increase revenue potential with the addition of more permanent seats along with improving fan amenities in that area. In addition, the possibility of adding an upper deck on the south end zone raises additional incremental revenue opportunities. Coming off the highest season ticket sales effort in school history and the highest average attendance in more than a quarter century, Pollard believes having additional seats in the future inventory is simply good planning.
Another very important facility initiative for the department is a practice gymnasium and support facilities for the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams at Hilton Coliseum. That project remains high on the department’s priority list but it also cannot begin until the necessary funding is secured.
Pollard added that the current construction (Phase 1) at Jack Trice Stadium has gone better than expected despite a very difficult winter.
“I think that fans will be very impressed with the renovations,” Pollard said. “I was extremely pleased during a recent walk-through to see how wide and expansive the west concourse is. I was amazed how much bigger the stadium feels as a result of the wider concourse.”
The Phase 1 construction will get its public debut on Aug. 28 when the Cyclones host South Dakota State.
