[B]URLINGTON — Construction on the University of Vermont’s $95 million athletics center is set to start in coming weeks.
The project received final approval from the Board of Trustees Saturday and has exceeded its goal of $30 million in philanthropic gifts.
The facility includes the renovation of the university’s hockey facility, Gutterson Fieldhouse, and the construction of a new arena for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Patrick Gymnasium, the basketball teams’ current home, will be repurposed as a fitness and wellness center for the entire student body.
The university held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the facility Saturday featuring donors and university officials.
UVM President Tom Sullivan said the facility will be important for the entire university community.
“Those words, multi-purpose, really mean cultural, social, academic, athletic, great competition and wonderful promotion of health and wellness for our students, our faculty and our staff,” he said. “That’s what this complex will stand for.”
The university surpassed its goal of $30 million in gifts with a $4 million gift from alumnus Chuck Davis ‘72, the CEO of private equity firm Stone Point Capital, and his wife, Marna. The family previously contributed the lead gift in the construction of the Dudley H. Davis Center, named after Davis’ father.
In recognition of their gift, the student wellness center will be named in honor of Davis’ mother, Phyllis “Phiddy” Davis, a UVM graduate, class of 1945.
The repurposing of Patrick Gym to a 100,000-square-foot as a student wellness center will be dramatically larger than the current 15,000 square foot facility on campus.
The university raised a total of $32.9 million in donations from 300 donors, according to Shane Jacobson, the president/CEO of the UVM Foundation.
The lead donors for the project, and the namesake of the basketball arena, are IDX founder and former Republican Senate candidate Richard Tarrant and his wife, Deborah. The Tarrants gave $15 million and were present for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
The university will also use some funding from deferred maintenance budgets and incur up to $75 million in debt for the project, Athletics Director Jeff Schulman told VTDigger last year.
The facility will be built in stages, and in the meantime, hockey and basketball teams will continue to use the current facilities. It is expected to be finished in 2022.
Schulman said the project will help the university recruit and retain high-quality students, student-athletes and coaches, and will be used by the greater Vermont community. The university will offer space for summer camps and championship games for high school sports.
“This is going to be your destination, and it’s hard to imagine right now the incredibly magical moments that will take place in these new facilities,” he said.