Much has been written about — and properly so — about the new U of Oregon basketball arena. So what is going on at Oregon State? Since we asked …It’s not as fancy or perhaps even as interesting as what is taking place down the road in Eugene but there are big arena doings these days in Corvallis, OR.
Gill Coliseum, the longtime hoops home of the Oregon State Beavers, is undergoing a $4 million transformation.
When all is said and done (Bids are due on Aug. 7) here is what will take place for the project, which is funded by private donations and a 25-percent surcharge on all basketball, gymnastics and wrestling tickets.
• Asbestos abatement will take 4-to-6 weeks, once a contractor is selected and the process is determined.
• The new paint and new, energy-efficient windows won’t be added until the asbestos problem is resolved, probably next spring at the earliest, weather permitting.
The painted-over windows on both ends of the court will be replaced by new translucent panes; blackout curtains will be used during afternoon games.
• Doors will be replaced piecemeal after the asbestos abatement is completed and before the final painting begins.
• New landscaping and hardscaping, primarily on the coliseum’s east and north sides, will begin next summer, depending on funds.
• New video boards at both ends of the arena bowl, ribbon boards in the corners and a second courtside digital scoreboard will be installed sometime during the upcoming season, once contracts with prospective advertisers are finalized.
• Final plans for the basement are still in flux. But construction is expected to begin soon on a new sports medicine/training facility and a storage area for Beaver Authentics apparel; a new women’s basketball locker room; a new media room; a new visiting locker room; and a new equipment room.
While all this is going on, the team will still be playing homes at Gill, which was orginally built in 1949.
Construction has already begun on new offices for men’s basketball coach Craig Robinson and his staff in a former concession area off the south hallway. When that’s done, AD Bob De Carolis and assistants Todd Stansbury and Mark Massari will vacate the trailer next to the parking garage and move into Robinson’s old digs.