Ground broken on the new basketball facility

[babysheep]

I know there is another thread with a similar title but that's just an article link (I actually saw the news team setting up their camera nearby this morning). I am essentially living on campus all summer and can/will be driving by the construction many, many times. Maybe this can turn into a kind of blog on how the project is progressing.

There's an asphalt path leading up behind the bleachers, and that's what they were tearing up today, as well as the booth at the top where announcers and press and whoever would sit. Everything including the field is completely caged off and there are some big construction vehicles now.

On a side note, they've put up the metal skeleton of the McMahon dining hall extension and damn it's making the dining hall a lot bigger.

 

[CL82]

Thanks for the post. How about throwing in a occasional picture? It would be cool to hear and see the progress.

 

[Puertorock43]

Updates will be good for every one...I live in willimantic but with the kids I don't have much time to drive up to uconn but I will try my best to drive bye it

 

[ConnHuskBask]

On a side note, they've put up the metal skeleton of the McMahon dining hall extension and damn it's making the dining hall a lot bigger.

Got any pics of that? Would be interested in seeing that (see my avatar).

 

[auggie22]

The title may be a bit misleading. Technically this is not the groundbreaking for the facility...they won't do that until they raise ~$5M more. I think the Memorial Stadium demonstration is being used as a catalyst to bring more dough in the door.

 

[babysheep]

Got any pics of that? Would be interested in seeing that (see my avatar).

Maybe I'll grab a couple when I get back from vacation in a weekish. Will be interesting to see what they get done on the BB facility in that time as well.

Remember how there were two separate sets of stairs (I think) leading up to the front entrance to the dorm? I'd say the extension goes roughly to where the lower set of stairs went.

 

[Waquoit]

On a side note, they've put up the metal skeleton of the McMahon dining hall extension and damn it's making the dining hall a lot bigger.

Good thing, too. I hate those extensions that make things smaller.

 

[babysheep]

Good thing, too. I hate those extensions that make things smaller.

Well, that would be a reduction.

 

[WingU]

How it looks today

 

[CL82]

Cool thanks for posting.

I should have snuck in pulled off a letter or two before they knocked down the box but a) it's kinda far to Storrs and b) doing that as a middle aged guy might not be viewed as "youthful hijinks" if caught.

 

[Kitaman]

Good news like this should come with an OT prefix.

 

[babysheep]

Got back to campus today, gonna be here for a month until the 4th of July. Drove by and the concrete bleachers are all gone. Just a thin layer of rubble coating the hill. The whole field is now completely impossible to access.

 

[babysheep]

It's been rainy here for 3 days now, so not much has been done, but it looks like they're starting to remove at least a part of the slope that the concrete bleachers once sat. Dunno how much they can remove, since D Lot sits right at the top of the slope. The grass field itself is gated off, but strangely untouched.

 

[tcf15]

Saw this picture on twitter about 1 week ago:

 

[Ricky1Moore]

Wouldn't it be great if all the home games could just be right across the way at gampel... students taking the sidelines...

And maybe just replace the revenue by playing a few of the biggest home games at the td garden, MSG, and Mohegan... Maybe give one to Fairfield county so the hedge fund people will get on board and start funding the crap out of the program...

Pipe dreams I know

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Saw this picture on twitter about 1 week ago:

View attachment 864

Jesus that just looks weird, lol.

 

[StoweD210]

I was on campus last Saturday and took a couple pictures. From what I understand, the field itself will remain intact over the summer to allow for football and soccer camps (I'm not sure what they are going to do when a ball goes over one of the blue fences) . I don't know the exact date, but they'll probably start to rip the field up closer to the start of the fall semester.

 

[StoweD210]

Not related to Memorial Stadium, but I also saw this on my visit:

He may not be the starting QB this season, but that's not a shabby distinction to have.