CHICAGO — Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s renovations might include a “cool” new feature.
Literally.
It was announced in June that the University of Iowa was seeking approval from the Iowa Board of Regents to proceed with plans for renovations to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the construction of a new field hockey operations building adjacent to Grant Field.
Planned improvements to 43-year-old Carver-Hawkeye Arena include additional premium seating options and club space, upgrades throughout the concourse, concessions, restrooms and seating bowl, with an emphasis on improved accessibility and fan comfort and an enhanced game-day atmosphere.
And as part of the project, Iowa is looking at better temperature control.
“One of the things that was discussed at the board meeting: They are going to explore options to cool the arena,” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz said at Big Ten Football Media Days on July 28. “I think that’ll be a part of the project that the university assumes, as opposed to athletics. But the plan is that they’ll explore what that might look like. Very important from a graduation standpoint (held each year in May). Not to say it wouldn’t benefit us. I can recall a certain NCAA women’s basketball game this past spring that was quite toasty in there.”
Temperatures in Iowa City hovered around 90 degrees on March 21 when the Hawkeye women defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in a first-round March Madness contest. Inside the arena the thermometer registered over 80 degrees.
The proposed Carver-Hawkeye Arena project, which is estimated to cost between $50 million and $70 million, would be funded entirely through private gifts and completed in carefully sequenced phases, potentially over two years, to minimize disruption during athletics seasons and major events, the school said in a news release.
“Earlier this spring, we went to ask for approval to hire an architect and construction manager,” Goetz said on July 28. “So we received that approval. We’re actually in the interview process right now. We think we’ll have an architect on board here in August. And then the process requires we go back to the board once we have the final design. So, if all goes well to plan, that’ll be maybe late next spring, early summer, sometime after graduation.
“So really thrilled with where we are in terms of the fundraising efforts there. We went into that board meeting with about $44 million in commitments. Have a little more work to do, but we’ll be excited to move with some pace through that project, which will serve all 22 of our teams, but most importantly, I think, provide a better atmosphere for our fans and our students as they continue to watch games at Carver.”
There isn’t a firm timetable yet for when the renovations will begin.
“It may be a little too early to pin down exactly when it starts, but I do think we would like to move through the project as quickly and as thoroughly as we can,” Goetz said. “It’s likely we’re going to have to work through some changes and we’re certainly not going to relocate our programs. There may be an opportunity or a window to do something before next season. We’ll have to see where we are in the process.”
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This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Renovations to Carver-Hawkeye Arena might include ‘cool’ new feature
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
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By Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
