Penn State Sports Magazine
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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State is preparing to take the next steps in its massive Beaver Stadium renovation project. A notice requesting bids appears on the university's Office of Physical Plant website. OPP's notice details the timeline that university offi- cials aim to follow in the hope of having the stadium's overhaul almost entirely finished in the next four years. The notice states that preconstruc- tion "will commence immediately upon [the awarding of the contract] and con- clude in August 2024. Miscellaneous en- abling and selective demolition projects may begin in spring 2024 and continue throughout construction. West sideline demolition and construction will imme- diately follow the 2024 football season. "The main structural demolition of the West sideline is anticipated to be completed in two major phases follow- ing the 2024 and 2025 football seasons. The project will be substantially com- plete for the 2027 football season." Speaking at a Dec. 20 news confer- ence inside the 106,572-seat venue, Penn State athletics director Patrick Kraft said the design work on the stadium project was roughly one-third complete. "We're 30 percent into design of this building," Kraft said. "This is like build- ing a village. I haven't even briefed the board or [university president] Neeli [Bendapudi] on where we are with Bea- ver Stadium. This is a major project. Thirty percent is where the pipes are going, and circulation. We feel really good about where we're going." In addition to working around the needs of the football program, univer- sity officials must accommodate other events. The stadium will play host to country music star Luke Combs for a show this summer, and Kraft said Penn State is open to one day hosting an NHL outdoor Winter Classic. Kraft last discussed the Beaver Stadium plan at Big Ten Media Days in July. At that point, Penn State had still not chosen an architecture and engineering firm to de- sign the project. In October, the university enlisted Populous of Kansas City, Mo., the same firm that helped PSU formulate its Facilities Master Plan in 2017. "To get it done in the four-year win- dow, the goal would be to do all the en- abling projects right after [the 2023] sea- son: the winterization and get the design going and some of the stuff," Kraft said last summer. "Then, the next season, you will be done with design. You've still got to go to the board and do all those steps, but then you're going right after, hopefully, the playoff game in [December 2024]. Then you're off to the races." The $700 million project will thor- oughly overhaul the stadium's west grandstand, which includes the press box. The description on OPP's website notes that the goal is to "provide im- proved access for broadcasting, greatly improved circulation, new restrooms, upgraded concession offerings and much-needed premium seating." While the west side is viewed as the focal point of the project, Kraft said that Penn State has been open-minded about how best to address the facility's needs. "We are looking at everything in this building," he said, "from the east con- course to the main concourse to bath- rooms to the west side to the premium [seating]. There is not a thing we are not evaluating in this process." Beaver Stadium isn't the only football- oriented facilities project that is underway at Penn State. Back in May, the board of trustees announced a $22 million Lasch Building update focused on renovating the office and meeting spaces on the second floor. That project is now moving forward. "They're under construction there now," Kraft said in December. "James [Franklin] is moving his office out. Ev- eryone is moving their offices. … That's actually starting. They are doing the prep work over there now. They are moving offices and moving into temp space." Elsewhere, the university is looking to upgrade Jeffrey Field with new training facilities, a locker room, team meeting spaces, office suites, and improvements to the concession stands and bath- rooms. Kraft said the design work on PSU's soccer facility is nearly complete, and fundraising efforts are ongoing. "We are excited about what that's going to look like, and that's the way it should be for [soccer coaches] Erica [Dambach] and Jeff [Cook]," he said. "When you have two nationally ranked and national championship-caliber teams, they will have the facilities those student-athletes deserve." The university is also making im- provements to Medlar Field, the East Area Locker Room and the Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex. PSU is creating a health and wellness facility for student-athletes in Green- berg, along with a training table. Kraft said he hopes that project is finished by the fall of 2025. ■ AD Kraft On Beaver Stadium Revamp: 'We Feel Really Good About Where We're Going' G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Athletics director Patrick Kraft said in mid-December that nearly a third of the design work for the Beaver Stadium renovation project had been completed. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER