Trustees approve football complex, life sciences site development, amendments to State Street agreement

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Board of Trustees on Saturday (Dec. 19) approved plans to move forward on a football performance complex and utility infrastructure and site development work in the southwest area of the West Lafayette campus.

Trustees also approved various amendments to the project development agreement for the State Street corridor project.

The Football Performance Complex, which will be completed with assistance from the Ross-Ade Foundation, will be a three-story building adjacent to the north end of the Mollenkopf Athletic Center. The current concept calls for a 110,000 gross-square-foot facility that will include a locker room, weight room, coaching offices, meeting rooms, player development room, equipment and sports medicine areas.

Morgan Burke, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, said existing facilities for football student-athletes are housed in multiple buildings and provide only about 35 percent of the needed space. The Mollenkopf training facility was built in 1989, and existing training facilities on the lower level of the Brees Academic Center underwent updates in the late 90s.

“This new complex will create a centralized location to improve efficiency and simultaneously address the space needs of the football program,” he said.

Under the approval, the Ross-Ade Foundation would complete the project planning and undertake the construction for the facility, which has an estimated cost of $65 million. The foundation also would prepare and submit proposals and recommendations for project financing, which will be privately funded by donors, with future media rights distributions targeted to help with the annual debt service. No student fees or state support will be used for the project. Purdue Athletics is a self-supporting auxiliary enterprise.

Populous of Kansas City, Missouri, will provide planning and design services, and Hunt Construction of Indianapolis will be utilized to meet requirements of the “construction manager as constructor” project delivery method. Construction is anticipated to start next May and be completed in August 2017.

Trustees also granted approval to plan, finance, construct and award a construction contract for life sciences utility infrastructure and site work for the southwest area of campus, including the planned Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences and Land O’Lakes Center for Experiential Learning complex, located at the corner of Harrison and S. Russell streets. The project will provide new steam and chilled water service, install an underground utility distribution system that connects to the system serving Discovery Park, and develop a site landscape plan for the mall area to the north.

Improvements will include a service drive, sidewalks and a bike path, lawn area, lighting, storm water drains, and irrigation. Construction is expected to begin next August and be completed in August 2017. The project has an estimated total cost of $6.35 million, to be funded with infrastructure reserves.

Trustees approved various amendments to the State Street project development agreement. Among other things, the amendments provide additional details on the funding sources for the project, including the revenues to be collected from two local tax increment financing (TIF) districts and draws on a credit facility - referred to as the “TIF Support Facility” - which is to be made available by the Purdue Research Foundation. The proposed modifications include an increase in the amount of this credit facility from $60 million to $62.7 million, as well as an expansion of its intended uses for the project.

The project development partnership among the city, the university, the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission and Purdue Research Foundation will enhance the State Street corridor from the Wabash River through the city’s downtown and the university’s campus to U.S. 231 on the west 

Sources: Michael B. Cline, vice president for physical facilities, 765-494-8000

Morgan Burke, 765-494-3189

Steve Schultz, Purdue legal counsel, schult51@purdue.edu