Construction of Georgia State’s new football strength and conditioning facility is scheduled to begin Monday as long as the permits are approved.
Rainwater Construction will put together the pre-fabricated building, which will be made mostly of aluminum. It is expected to be operational by Aug. 1, which is when football practice will begin.
Projected costs are $600,000 – it was budgeted to cost as much as $700,000 — with various weightlifting and cardiovascular equipment expected to cost another $300,000.
The building will be constructed adjacent to the football team’s practice facility at 188 MLK Drive. There will be a walkway between the buildings.
The facility will be 7,000 square feet – 70 feet wide by 100 feet long — and will take up half of the grass field used by the football team. The team will have approximately 25 yards of the grass field, and the entire turf field that is behind both buildings, to use during practice.
There is no groundbreaking ceremony planned. There may be an opening ceremony.
The north side of the building will feature windows so that those working out can see the grass practice field.
The south side of the building, which is the side where the offices, storage room, bathroom and nutrition center will be, will run parallel to MLK Drive.
As the strength and conditioning facility construction is about to get underway, research is being done to turn the Aquatics center next to the GSU Sports Arena into a practice space for men’s and women’s basketball.
Rosser International is working on a schedule to detail how to make the space usable by the end of the year. The schedule is expected to be completed within two weeks.
There are many things that must be done to the center, including repairing or replacing the HVAC, adding lights, a court and goals. Athletic director Charlie Cobb said in March the project could cost as much as $1.5 million.
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