The board of trustees discussed the second phase of renovations to the Arena Auditorium in a conference call Wednesday morning.
Vice President for Administration Bill Mai introduced the Arena Auditorium renovation changes. The second phase of changes deals with a dedicated entrance to the auditorium, as well as disability access to concessions.
“The Arena Auditorium hasn’t been renovated since the early 1980’s, and several features have become outdated, disability access in particular,” trustee Mike Massie said.
Massie said that the new main entrance, which will be located right next to the main gate to the football stadium, has gone through several reviews.
“It is time to stop talking about it and time to start moving to get it constructed. After today, the architects will start putting the details on the plans, and the construction folks will be ready to go and the end of next basketball season,” Massie said.
The new entrance will include a large atrium which will house a statue of Kenny Sailors, who was a member of the 1943 National Champion Wyoming Basketball team. He is accredited with the creation of the jump shot. The exterior of the atrium will include four sandstone arches, which Massie said is reflective of the architecture of the west side of the Half Acre gym.
“Every revision has improved the look of it, to the point where everyone believes that it is highly attractive and reflective of the architecture of UW,” Massie said. “There is also a wow factor associated with it.”
The board of trustees also discussed an update on the progress of the presidential search. Trustees Secretary Jeff Marsh produced the report, which stated that the rough schedule for committee one has been designed. Committee one is tasked with reviewing all applications and identifying a list of 10 to 15 candidates who warrant further consideration. The first meeting of committee one will take place on August 19th in the Old Main boardroom and will be closed to the public.
Marsh said that the board of trustees hired Brad Mead, brother of Wyoming Governor Matt Mead and former trustee, as a search consultant assisting the board to find the next president. Marsh said that Mead helped design the schedule for committee one.
