Michigan State trustees give green light to $6.7M expansion of football center
EAST LANSING — With the NCAA's decision to increase the permitted number of football coaches for its programs, Michigan State University needs more office space and plans to spend $6.7 million adding that space to the Skandalaris Football Center.
Matt Larson, a spokesperson for the athletic department, wrote in an email Friday that, "the funding is in place, although athletics is still soliciting donations for the project."
The money for the project is expected to come from donations or debt financing that would be repaid from donations, according to the authorization to plan memorandum.
"Due to NCAA rule changes and deregulations relating to the number of assistant coaches as well as support personnel, there are more people working at Skandalaris with the football program than when the building opened," Larson wrote. "For example, in January 2018, Division I football teams were allowed to hire an additional assistant coach."
MSU trustees authorized the administration to proceed with the upgrades to the Skandalaris Football Facility and The Demmer Family Hall of History during a board meeting Friday. Construction is slated to begin in January and be substantially complete by August.
On top of adding more space to the facility, MSU plans to refresh existing amenities and update the "somewhat out of date" technology on the first floor of The Demmer Family Hall of History.
The project would reconfigure underused patio and internal spaces. It would create a large conference room, smaller meeting rooms, offices, larger restrooms and an all-staff work room, according to the memorandum.
The facilities will see an "aesthetic refresh" with new graphics, finishes and digital displays, transforming the Hall of History into "a beacon at night" with new monitors on the east and south walls.
The Skandalaris Football Center and The Demmer Family Hall of History are located in the Duffy Daugherty Football Building on Chestnut Road.
A $15 million expansion added the Skandalaris Football Center to the Duffy Daugherty Building in 2008, which included meeting rooms, offices and The Demmer Family Hall of History.
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Contact Madison O'Connor at 517-377-1047 or moconnor1@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @madisonoconn. Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.