Total cost: $44 million.

What will BGSU get? A renovated Ice Arena and a new convocation center.

The Ice Arena and Anderson Arena, both of which are over 40 years old, have had little done to them since their construction, said Steve Kampf, Director of Recreational Sports.

Meetings were held on last Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday to tell the public about the plans regarding the updates.

Friday’s meeting at the Ice Arena began with head hockey coach Scott Paluch thanking everyone for coming to the meeting because it showed they care about the building.

Greg Christopher, the University’s athletic director, stated there is a list of priorities for the buildings, but not a list of definites.

One facility for all of the needs was considered, but this was estimated to cost $90 million. On the other end of the spectrum, a few million dollars could be spent on patchwork for both buildings.

‘I don’t think we need Taj Mahal facilities in order to be competitive in the MAC or CCHA,’ Christopher said on Tuesday.

Obvious deficiencies will be eliminated and a high priority is creating the best home-court advantage, Christopher said.

He described Anderson Arena as ‘a little farther gone,’ which is why a new basketball arena will be constructed.

The new facility will cost $36 million, $14 million of which will come from fundraising.

The Ice Arena will receive an $8 million renovation, half which will be from debt service through the University and the other half will be funded by private donations.

A lot of questions were raised from the audience about the proposed Ice Arena changes.

A group of curlers attended the meeting and expressed their distress at losing the curling ice to ice skaters.

Kampf responded that it will come down to making money.

‘How much money can curling make when there could be ice skaters?’ Kampf said.

The reason the curlers could be displaced is because if the studio ice is converted into locker rooms, the studio ice will need to be replaced. The curling ice could then be converted into skating ice.

Other questions were brought up about adding a second sheet of ice to the Ice Arena.

Alan Mayberry, a former Bowling Green Youth Hockey board member and member of a recent Ice Arena feasibility study, said adding a second sheet of ice was first on the list of priorities when he was a part of the study, so he was wondering why it was no longer on the list of improvements.

He explained after the meeting that he has been to hundreds of rinks around the country, has seen what can be done and what makes arenas successful.

‘A second sheet of ice is top of the list,’ he said. That income stream would help with the other improvements.

Again, Kampf’s response was about money. He said $4 million won’t build a sheet of ice.

Mayberry and others thought a second sheet of ice would bring more teams and more competitions, which would make up for the increased cost of building an additional sheet of ice.

Other comments were that the proposed plan decreases the use of the Ice Arena and that a second sheet of ice would add a lot of potential and could generate the money the Athletic Department wants to generate.

Questions that were raised at the basketball meeting on Tuesday were mostly about seating options, location of the building and amenities.

Christopher does not want a large arena to be constructed that will be empty on game days. He wants the homey feeling of Anderson Arena to continue.

‘To me, smaller is better because we don’t have any ticket demand,’ he said.

The crowd will also stay close to the court, with the students on the floor, providing an intimate experience.

The utility lines that are available around campus will play a part in the location decision. Right now, Lot 6, the resident lot east of Haven House, is favored.

Initial Ice Arena priorities

Replace refrigeration system and all mechanical elements tied to the system

Repair roof and building insulation

Ice plant repairs

Clean up the exterior of the facility

Landscaping

Repave the parking lot

Replace or improve the interior lighting

Renovate the existing locker areas

Renovate studio ice space into new locker rooms

Convert curling ice into a multi-purpose facility for skating and curling

Address and ADA access shortcomings

Seating improvements, including some sort of premium seating

Paint the ceiling

New scoreboard(s)/video board

New sound system

Update varsity team areas

Hospitality lounge

Lobby/main concourse

Concession areas

Media/press areas

Area that celebrates history and tradition of the BGSU hockey program

What will the convocation center house?

Locker rooms and meeting rooms for each of the three teams

Office suite that house all three programs and coaching staffs

BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame

Merchandise store

Athletic ticket office

Media/press area

Hospitality lounge

What will happen to Anderson Arena?

Gymnastics and Student-Athlete Support Services will move there