The $15 million project designed to transform the Farmer's Market area across the street from Williams-Brice Stadium into a tailgating paradise remains on schedule for completion prior to the Sept. 8 home opener against East Carolina.
When completed in August, the new-look Farmers Market will contain parking spaces for about 3,000 vehicles and feature a "green" recreational area with a stage for concerts, along with a 'Garnet Way' paved with brick.
The South Carolina football team will begin its traditional walk to the stadium from the Farmer's Market, and the USC band will entertain the thousands of college football fans tailgating throughout the 50-plus acre parcel.
With more than three months remaining until the 2012 home opener, 60 percent of the Farmer's Market project is completed, USC Executive Associate Athletics Director Kevin O'Connell told Gamecock Central recently.
About 250 of the 750 trees (one-third of the total) planned for the site have been planted. Restrooms have been built and the Garnet Way is taking shape. The power lines along Bluff Road should come down and be buried underground in July.
"It's really coming into focus," O'Connell said. "You can see the four quads and the Garnet Way."
VIDEO SCOREBOARD: The steel beams for the support structure intended to hold up the massive high definition scoreboard on the north side of the stadium are being manufactured according to specifications and the first deliveries took place over the weekend. The old video scoreboard has been completely removed (thankfully, in the eyes of some fans).
Work to erect the steel beams on both sides of the Floyd building is expected to begin this week. The deadline to finish that phase is July 15. By that date, Daktronics, the video board manufacturer, should be on site to begin installation of the much-anticipated board.
Installation of the board is expected to take about one month, leaving two to three weeks before the home opener for testing the board, work out the bugs and train employees. Thus, the deadline for installing the video board is August 15.
While work continues on the scoreboard, construction of the control room underneath Williams-Brice Stadium (about 30 percent of the total cost of the new video board is devoted to the control room) is ongoing and all the equipment necessary to run the board has been ordered. Some of the equipment was delivered last week.
Clark-Howell Associates is the general contractor for the control room.
"We're actually more nervous about the control room and getting the equipment in and set up and functional," O'Connell said. "There is so much equipment and we have a constricted time frame."
SOFTBALL STADIUM: By the end of the summer, Beckham Field should no longer exist. The home of the USC softball team will be totally demolished in order to clear the way for a new $8 million facility that is scheduled to open next February. If seven months seems like a tight schedule, you're right.
The new Beckham Field should rank among the top softball facilities in the SEC.
The successful bidder for the project was Burkwood Construction, which submitted the lowest base bid of $6.69 million. Right now, the total cost of the project is about $300,000 less than projected. Burkwood also won the bids for erecting the steel beams for the video board and the landscaping project inside the Athletics Village at the Roost.
Final papers are being drawn up now and the demolition phase for Beckham Field should begin in early-to-mid June, O'Connell said.
Prior to last season, USC replaced the drainage system at Beckham Field, so the field itself will not be touched while new stands, dugouts and press box are built from the ground up.
NOTES:
* Phase I approval for the new football practice fields from the State Budget and Control Board should come on June 19, O'Connell said. As soon as final Phase I approval is granted, USC will begin the design phase. Two full-length practice fields are planned for the rear of the Farmer's Market property adjacent to the proposed indoor facility.
* Architects for the $14 million Indoor Practice Facility have been selected, and the work designing the facility is moving forward. However, USC will not seek Phase II approval (construction) for the structure from the Board of Trustees and the state government agencies until full funding for the project is secured from private sources.
* The $1 million project to renovate both home team locker rooms at Colonial Life Arena is nearly complete, O'Connell said. Dodie Anderson, who donated a large chunk of the money for the academic center, paid for the entire cost of the project.
* The new athletics administration (a.k.a., coaches support) intended to centralize USC athletic department operations is scheduled to open in late June.
* O'Connell said that Phase III of the Athletics Village will include a new athletic training building, basketball practice facility and track & field complex. However, work on those projects isn't expected to begin until the latter half of this decade when the projects currently under construction (Farmer's Market, softball stadium, video board) or being planned (indoor facility, practice fields) are finished and the money raised to build the new structures. The athletic training and basketball practice facilities should be built in the open space between the parking garage and new tennis center.
* After the new athletics administration building becomes functional and all employees have moved in, the Roundhouse is expected to be totally demolished by the end of the summer to make way for a portion of the new track & field complex. The field events (javelin, hammer throw, high jump, pole vault,
etc.) will occupy the space now taken up by the Roundhouse, the annex and golf trailer.
link: http://southcarolina...asp?CID=1367516
When completed in August, the new-look Farmers Market will contain parking spaces for about 3,000 vehicles and feature a "green" recreational area with a stage for concerts, along with a 'Garnet Way' paved with brick.
The South Carolina football team will begin its traditional walk to the stadium from the Farmer's Market, and the USC band will entertain the thousands of college football fans tailgating throughout the 50-plus acre parcel.
With more than three months remaining until the 2012 home opener, 60 percent of the Farmer's Market project is completed, USC Executive Associate Athletics Director Kevin O'Connell told Gamecock Central recently.
About 250 of the 750 trees (one-third of the total) planned for the site have been planted. Restrooms have been built and the Garnet Way is taking shape. The power lines along Bluff Road should come down and be buried underground in July.
"It's really coming into focus," O'Connell said. "You can see the four quads and the Garnet Way."
VIDEO SCOREBOARD: The steel beams for the support structure intended to hold up the massive high definition scoreboard on the north side of the stadium are being manufactured according to specifications and the first deliveries took place over the weekend. The old video scoreboard has been completely removed (thankfully, in the eyes of some fans).
Work to erect the steel beams on both sides of the Floyd building is expected to begin this week. The deadline to finish that phase is July 15. By that date, Daktronics, the video board manufacturer, should be on site to begin installation of the much-anticipated board.
Installation of the board is expected to take about one month, leaving two to three weeks before the home opener for testing the board, work out the bugs and train employees. Thus, the deadline for installing the video board is August 15.
While work continues on the scoreboard, construction of the control room underneath Williams-Brice Stadium (about 30 percent of the total cost of the new video board is devoted to the control room) is ongoing and all the equipment necessary to run the board has been ordered. Some of the equipment was delivered last week.
Clark-Howell Associates is the general contractor for the control room.
"We're actually more nervous about the control room and getting the equipment in and set up and functional," O'Connell said. "There is so much equipment and we have a constricted time frame."
SOFTBALL STADIUM: By the end of the summer, Beckham Field should no longer exist. The home of the USC softball team will be totally demolished in order to clear the way for a new $8 million facility that is scheduled to open next February. If seven months seems like a tight schedule, you're right.
The successful bidder for the project was Burkwood Construction, which submitted the lowest base bid of $6.69 million. Right now, the total cost of the project is about $300,000 less than projected. Burkwood also won the bids for erecting the steel beams for the video board and the landscaping project inside the Athletics Village at the Roost.
Final papers are being drawn up now and the demolition phase for Beckham Field should begin in early-to-mid June, O'Connell said.
Prior to last season, USC replaced the drainage system at Beckham Field, so the field itself will not be touched while new stands, dugouts and press box are built from the ground up.
NOTES:
* Phase I approval for the new football practice fields from the State Budget and Control Board should come on June 19, O'Connell said. As soon as final Phase I approval is granted, USC will begin the design phase. Two full-length practice fields are planned for the rear of the Farmer's Market property adjacent to the proposed indoor facility.
* Architects for the $14 million Indoor Practice Facility have been selected, and the work designing the facility is moving forward. However, USC will not seek Phase II approval (construction) for the structure from the Board of Trustees and the state government agencies until full funding for the project is secured from private sources.
* The $1 million project to renovate both home team locker rooms at Colonial Life Arena is nearly complete, O'Connell said. Dodie Anderson, who donated a large chunk of the money for the academic center, paid for the entire cost of the project.
* The new athletics administration (a.k.a., coaches support) intended to centralize USC athletic department operations is scheduled to open in late June.
* O'Connell said that Phase III of the Athletics Village will include a new athletic training building, basketball practice facility and track & field complex. However, work on those projects isn't expected to begin until the latter half of this decade when the projects currently under construction (Farmer's Market, softball stadium, video board) or being planned (indoor facility, practice fields) are finished and the money raised to build the new structures. The athletic training and basketball practice facilities should be built in the open space between the parking garage and new tennis center.
* After the new athletics administration building becomes functional and all employees have moved in, the Roundhouse is expected to be totally demolished by the end of the summer to make way for a portion of the new track & field complex. The field events (javelin, hammer throw, high jump, pole vault,
etc.) will occupy the space now taken up by the Roundhouse, the annex and golf trailer.
link: http://southcarolina...asp?CID=1367516
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