Assembly Hall renovations could cost more than $100 million

For Assembly Hall to be in better condition than it is now, IU will have to spend $50 million in renovations and upward of $123 million for other recommended improvements to the facility. Several IU trustees deemed such changes necessary during Thursday’s meeting. \nBeginning on Thursday and continuing Friday morning, the IU board of trustees has been discussing Assembly Hall’s fate, along with the decision to outsource the operation of the IU campus bookstore. The latter decision will come Friday morning. \nIn addition, Dan Rives, IU Associate Vice President for Human Resources, presented an update on the IU Ambulatory Care Center – a medical services center similar to the IU Health Center but that will allow employees and graduate students benefits and health care as well as dental services. \nIn a presentation, Athletics Director Rick Greenspan outlined several plans calling for renovations to the aging basketball arena. Although trustees did not come to any official decisions, the possibilities loom of either an entirely new arena or spending over $100 million on the aforementioned renovations. \nAssembly Hall opened during the 1971-72 season and can hold 17,456 fans.\n“It has been many years since we renovated the facility,” IU President Adam Herbert said. “We have talked about making changes and bringing it up to code and the potential to have to build a new Assembly Hall.”\nGreenspan said that Assembly Hall is structurally sound, but several improvements need to be made to keep the facility up to date. Assembly Hall currently has poor sight lines for some seats, limited seating for the disabled, narrow aisles and no place for suite-style premium seats. These needs would be addressed in basic improvements for the arena. The reports come from University officials and outside architects.\n“Most major building equipment is reaching its ends of useful life,” Greenspan said. “The current systems are not energy efficient, and the current control systems are obsolete and replacement parts are available.”\nThe IU trustees have not yet reached a decision regarding Assembly Hall, but expansion options and renovations will continue to be discussed. When the trustees meet again in June, President Herbert said they will receive a plan that outlines the potential costs for a new facility. \nThe next step for the trustees comes Friday, when they will make a decision on whether or not to outsource the operation of the IU campus bookstores. For several months, outsourcing has been a topic of discussion for the board.\nEarlier in the year, four of the 21 positions at the IU Motor Pool were outsourced. \nBefore the decision regarding the potential outsourcing of the IU campus bookstores is publicly announced, bookstore employees on the IU campuses will be privately notified of the decision.