Convocation center nearing completion
On Nov. 15, 2011, the Coastal Carolina University men’s basketball team hosted the Louisiana State University Tigers in the biggest home game in recent memory. The Kimbel Arena was packed to capacity for Coastal’s 71-63 victory over the SEC powerhouse, but the game was slated to have approximately three times as many screaming fans—imagine what that environment would have been like!
The game was supposed to be held in the new Student Recreation and Convocation Center, the mammoth structure under construction adjacent to Ronald G. Eaglin Hall. The center is the future home for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as the women’s volleyball squad. Designed by the Garvin Design Group of Columbia, the building will also house new exercise equipment and student gym facilities, including a state-of-the-art rock-climbing wall and an indoor track measuring one-tenth of a mile. The center will also be the future home of the Coastal bookstore.
“It’s a great looking building,” said Philip Massey, CCU project manager. “I’m really happy to be a part of this project.”
Construction began in May 2010 after two years of planning and design. Currently, the project is behind schedule (due to delayed material deliveries, weather delays and minor setbacks with the subcontractors), but the CCU community should not have to wait much longer. As of now, the “substantial” completion date is April 2012—not to be confused with the building’s opening. In April, Massey hopes he can run through a “punch list”—a check list of potential problems found during the construction process in an effort to ensure the building is structurally safe. If everything checks out, the move-in process can begin.
“I’d like to ‘shake down’ the building during the summer,” said Massey. “If you move in before running through the punch list, it can be difficult to finish.”
This “shake down,” taking place between April and June, means that upcoming graduates will walk across the stage at Brooks Stadium on May 5, 2012, as the center will not be ready for Spring Commencement. The building should be ready for the upcoming freshman orientation, which begins June 14 and 15.
“It’s our first big event of the [academic] year,” said Massey. “It would be nice to have the ribbon-cutting beforehand.”
Our crowd may not have been as big as we would have liked for the LSU game; however, the visiting squads scheduled to come to Conway for the 2012-2013 basketball season will witness approximately 3,200 Coastal fans pushing the new Student Recreation and Convocation Center’s acoustics to a whole new level.
