What You Should Know Before You Build It

If athletics is the front porch of the university, your facilities are your curb appeal — the thing that provides a first impression to student-athletes, coaches, students and supporters. Increased construction costs, enrollment challenges, the continued push for new student-athletes, the support of benefactors and more all come into play when constructing a new facility. We sat down with four small-college ADs who share their perspectives on their most important takeaways from past projects, funding sources, constituent involvement, revenue generation and more. 

When developing a strategy for constructing a new facility, what are the top 3 things you learned from your last construction project?

Greg Cooper (Heidelberg) - I always like to start with our core needs and list them out. Then create a list of wants as a second tier. 

The next step is making sure you have the right people at the table to ensure the facility designs are meeting your needs and that area experts are able to verify that you have the correct information.

The most important need in our current project is flexibility. That applies to the multiple things: 

1. Having more than one site identified in our case was important because of our topography and the expense of building in different locations
2. Having flexibility in layout of the facility was very important. We made three very different big picture layouts/designs early on in the process so that we could vet them with the different oversight groups on campus, in the city and surrounding neighborhoods. 
3. Each rendition had a different price point and understanding your capabilities for fundraising and making sure you don’t design a building that is unrealistic for your budget was important early on. That is why the three different designs were very valuable
4. Flexibility in architecture. Understanding that what architects design and what you can afford often don’t align. The willingness to make changes there to save on costs but also make sure you are meeting the original needs of the project can be hard to balance. We as a campus became serious about this project about 4 years ago and we are just now building the facility. It is a long runway to bring a facility of this size to fruition so flexibility is a must.

Ryan Erlacher (Augusta) - 1) Making sure communication with all parties involved is prioritized. 2) Transparency is important for those impacted by the construction. 3) Always be ready for the unexpected, must be able to adapt.

Mike Powicki (Wayne State College) - Get your architect and GC on board together as early as possible, especially during the time when developing your project cost model.

As a Division II institution, a shared-use facility model shows value, partnership, and fiscal responsibility to your campus and community. This strategy was definitely important in getting our project approved. It also opened doors to different donors who did not want to ONLY support athletics. 

Get out in front of our primary donor targets for lead gifts (pre-Program State phase). We began socializing the idea of our current project with our top handful of stakeholders two years prior to it even getting approved. We received some lead financial commitments early to provide confidence to our Chancellor’s office we could raise a significant portion of the funding externally.

Ken Ralph (Southwestern) - Keep your primary project committee small and nimble. Empower people to make decisions in real time to enable your architects and contractors to keep to their schedule. This keeps change orders to a minimum as well.

Keep the primary purpose of your facility in mind with every decision you make. Do not get distracted by small items which fall outside of your set goals for the facility. Too often donors, administrators, Trustees, or even architects try to get certain elements incorporated which are not in keeping with the purpose of the construction. Keep those conversations at bay.

Be sure to coordinate your vocabulary with all involved parties. For example, when an athletics administrator talks about an “Athletics Training Room” many people from outside of sports tend to think of that as a weight room. Take time and come up with clear terms everyone can use together such as “Sports Medicine Facility” or “Strength & Conditioning Center.” Miscommunication can doom a project.

What were the main reasons you built your last facility?

Cooper (Heidelberg) - We have been talking about the need for our fieldhouse for over 20 years. Our athletics department has grown to the point, about five years ago, that we were completely out of space. We had data to show that our lack of indoor recreation and athletic spaces was a big deterrent in the recruiting and retention of student-athletes. If we wanted to improve that issue, we had to make this project a reality.

Erlacher (Augusta) - 1) To meet the needs of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. 2) To offer modern facilities that will represent our University and athletics program well. 3) To allow our program to be as competitive as possible by offering first-class facilities.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - Our new facility is only one component of a $30M athletics and recreation construction project to increase and improve the amount of quality, programmable, indoor athletic and recreation space we have available on campus. We hired an architect consulting firm to conduct a feasibility study and facility analysis to provide data to show to our President and Board. This study was critically important in justifying the need to move forward with our project. 

Ralph (Southwestern) - The last major project for me was a softball facility. It was to replace a severely outdated facility and also to help the school meet its Title IX obligations. Everything about the facility was chosen to ensure the team had the best possible training and competition environment. The goal was to build a facility that would be spoken about as being among the best in the region.

From a funding perspective, what avenues did you explore previously and what would be on the table now?

Cooper (Heidelberg) - We are very fortunate that our project is 100% donor-funded. We did explore USDA loans, venture capitalists, and bridge construction loans as well, but ended up raising everything needed internally.

Erlacher (Augusta) - Private funding is always a great first option. We focus on a lot of naming rights opportunities to help fund facility projects. It’s always great to match a donor with a potential new space, especially alumni who take pride in their alma mater or a family naming a space after a loved one who has passed. University funding and/or state funding is always helpful, but sometimes there are challenges associated with securing those funds.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - Public funds are typically not available for athletic and recreation projects in our state, so we used to somewhat rely on the college cash and fee money to get projects done. Our current project is the largest single project WSC has conducted, so to even get the project budget going, we had to commit to fundraising $5.5M. Then we had to strategically piece the rest of it together from a variety of funding sources (i.e. bonds, budgeted capital improvement funds, college reserves, and a small amount of student fee money). 

Past projects across campus were mainly college-funded, but moving forward, we understand that private support for projects will need to be a significant component of the funding model.

Ralph (Southwestern) - Almost all of the projects I’ve been involved with have been funded through philanthropy. We’ve been pretty creative in how we’ve pulled together the funding using a variety of approaches, but mostly I’ve been fortunate to have willing partners to join the project. The biggest thing is to be able to sell the vision for the completed facility and to get others to share in your excitement.

Who do you include in the process? How much campus involvement is expected in facilities to serve the overall student-body and not just athletics? If student fees were used, how much say did the students have in the facility being built and designed?

Cooper (Heidelberg) - The project I am referencing for most of my answers is our field house, which is about 112,000 square feet and contains a 200m track building, a separate 50-yard turf field, weight rooms, locker rooms and many other support spaces. We included constituent groups from all over campus. The facility will house our Masters of Athletic Training program, as well as club sports, intramurals, and almost every varsity athletic team will use the facility. 

We had an initial planning committee that was small, about 8-10 people, but we did bring in content experts for specifics like track design and feedback from our coaches, weight room equipment feedback from coaches, and Athletic Training staff weighed in on the design and equipment of their areas. You don’t build a project of this size in a silo. If you don't get feedback, you won't get buy-in from the campus community.

Erlacher (Augusta) - It’s important to include every area, office or department involved in the new space. It’s also important to include students in the design phase; their voice and opinion are crucial to new facility buy-in. However, you don’t want to include too many individuals to the point where it drastically slows down the process, but over-communicating and including a diverse group of key constituents are important.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - For the feasibility study, we established a broad-based planning committee that consisted of athletics staff, student-athletes, general students, coaches, faculty (in our Human Sports and Health department), and other WSC staff. We also hosted focus groups and provided surveys with athletic teams, general student population, and club/intramural programs. Student fee money made up less than 5% of our funding, but we still wanted their feedback as renovating our REC Center was a part of the overall project, so understanding their priorities was still very important. We sold this as not just an athletics project, but a project to support many user groups and overall student life, health, and recreation. 

Ralph (Southwestern) - This is a tricky question and my answer will not be popular with some of my colleagues. The more people involved in the planning and design, the more opportunity for a fractured approach to the final project. Every group is going to try to ensure their one area of purpose is included and most times the budget does not allow for that. There are a lot of buildings around the country I tour and realize it was designed by a committee. Everything ends up smaller than expected and cut up. No one is completely happy with the finished project. Everyone complains. This is why it is important to determine the direction of the facility before attempting to gather feedback and keep all of that feedback in line with the direction of the project. I know colleges all love to talk about “collegiality” and “incorporating all voices,” but that can dilute a project. You certainly want to gain insight from others on campus to be sure you are not missing anything, as it is easy to operate with a blind spot, but it is best to do this very early in the process. If you are bringing a big donor to the table for the project, it is important to get together with them to ensure the primary vision is followed. If state money or student fees become the driver, you might not have any choice but to involve a wider group of constituents. If this is the case, it is important to be a good leader in committee discussions and keep the project objectives top-of-mind for everyone involved.

What has changed now that you did not encounter the last time you did a facility upgrade or build?

Cooper (Heidelberg) - A lot has changed for me personally, as this is my first capital project at this university. The previous project was a gym only at a public school in a different state. There were stark differences in philosophies between those two schools. The public university would not sacrifice design elements to get more space in the building. That was very frustrating to work through. I think that facility could have been so much better had they been willing to cut out architectural wants to prioritize student needs. This time around, we did not do that. We stayed focused on our needs and sacrificed our wants to serve the students better.

Erlacher (Augusta) - The amount of time you must plan for in advance regarding delays, product availability and adequate staffing is much different than 5-10 years ago.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - 1) Volatility of commodity prices and overall cost of construction. We built a new football stadium press box four years ago and I would guess that project would have cost double today. 2) Availability of skilled labor and subs. 3) Long delays in the availability of larger mechanical equipment (i.e. transformers).

Ralph (Southwestern) - We are just in a more challenging time to attract and retain students. Beautiful facilities do a lot to add value to your campus, but you have to realize that the way your institution looks today might be very different than what you see in 10 years. Institutions are going to be judicious in how they look at managing debt, so that might take some funding opportunities off the table.

What are your priorities for fan experience?

Cooper (Heidelberg) - I think we were very purposeful in our ADA considerations, but this is a student building first, so fans were a second tier of priority. This facility is primarily a practice, academic and recreation building, so fans' perspectives only came up when thinking about seating for graduations, flow of the building for camps and seating for track meets. 

Erlacher (Augusta) - We want our fans to have the best possible experience they can have during our events, and offering great facilities plays a vital role towards that goal. We want them to feel safe in a clean venue, be able to experience first-class facilities, and walk away with a favorable opinion of what we have to offer. We want the experience to be extremely positive and one that will encourage them to return.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - As we have constructed/renovated athletic facilities recently, there has been a significant emphasis on the fan experience and our ability to monetize that experience (i.e. club level in our football stadium and club level in our volleyball/basketball arena). As a part of this current project, we placed an emphasis on creating enhanced way-finding, better parking access, and additional ticketing areas for fans to improve fan engagement and facility access.

Ralph (Southwestern) - People like to go to places where they feel comfortable. In all of your projects, you should include a budget for building wayfinding to assist people in understanding the facility layout. Public spaces need to be uncrowded, well-lit, and safe. Seating comfort adds a lot, especially if you have some in your fanbase who are getting older or if you have sports where the men and women play back-to-back and it is a long stretch if the seats are uncomfortable.

How much focus do you put into ensuring a facility could generate ancillary revenue? If it is a point of emphasis, how did you go about incorporating those multi-purpose elements into the facility?

Cooper (Heidelberg) - That was a big focus for us. We wanted this facility to be able to serve our current students first, then be a revenue generator as a second priority. Due to our geography, we will have significant demand to use the facility from schools, club teams and the community. We plan to hire a person to oversee the building and one of the key job functions will be revenue generation. 

I think we were very purposeful in our design to allow for 5-6 different activities to be going on at any one time. There could be groups in the meeting rooms having study tables or watching film, another group could be on the track, another on the turf, another on the courts or multiple groups on the courts, another in the weightroom and another in the functional training area. All of that could happen without much overlap or crossing of paths.

Erlacher (Augusta) - It really depends on the type of facility and the goals of the project. For us, it's not a priority but something we do plan for. It’s important in the design phase that intentional efforts are made to include conversations on revenue generation and creative ways to create new opportunities.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - It was not one of the primary tenants of our project, but we certainly have been brainstorming how we can capitalize on our new indoor facility to generate revenue through youth teams/practices, high school rentals/events and additional WSC-sponsored camps, which all generate revenue. We built this facility to primarily support our campus needs, so it will still be a work in progress to find times for these ancillary revenue-generating programs.

Ralph (Southwestern) - Focus on the needs of your teams/institution first. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted with the “possibility” of generating external revenue from your facility. Design to your specific purpose, and if the final design has the opportunity to generate revenue, then you can make plans to maximize it then. To be honest, almost everybody overestimates how much revenue their facilities will make, so don’t let ancillary revenue possibilities dictate design.

What would you do differently the next time you have a facility project? 

Cooper (Heidelberg) - I feel like we got really close to meeting our initial goals of this project. I don’t think I would do much differently. We had to make some significant changes due to requirements of the city and firecode that were not in the original designs, but you have to accept during a project of this size that some things are out of your control and move on.

I still liked our alternative site better than where we are building, but overall it still works in different ways. At the end of the day, we are getting the best building we could afford working within the constraints we were given, and it will be truly transformative for our students. That is what it is all about. 

Erlacher (Augusta) - 1) Greater focus on transparency of the construction process with all involved, including the expectations we have for the contractor. 2) Making sure the timeline provided is one that includes accountability and monetary penalties if certain goals are not met on time.

Powicki (Wayne State College) - First thing up top, during a CMR process, getting the GC on board as early as possible to be working side-by-side with the architect to develop the budget. 

Ralph (Southwestern) - Every project is different and every project is special in its own way, so I am not sure if there is any “one thing” I’d change as each project is unique. Here are some things I wouldn’t change.

• Hire architects who are willing to design your vision for your purpose, not their vision for their purpose. Architects who are good listeners are worth their weight in gold.
• Assist people on campus with understanding and repeating the “elevator speech” for the project. The more people bought into the approach, the fewer issues down the road. It also helps with donors when all decision makers on campus can confidently repeat the project details and the vocabulary matches. The alignment of leadership goes a long way toward ensuring a successful project.
• Don’t put a shovel in the ground until you're sure the design is solid. Too many projects are derailed by change orders eating up the budget.
• Focus on the primary purpose of your project and don’t let external forces detract you from building the facility you need for your students. Remember that you are the subject matter expert here and stay confident in your abilities.
• Do your homework. Tour other facilities and take good notes. Speak with others in the industry and learn what you can about their projects. Share important “comps” with your architect so they can use them in design and planning. Have a set list of product suppliers you like to get them included in the process (scoreboards, seating, lockers, etc).
• If you hire a contractor who has advertised experience in building athletic facilities, be sure the construction manager assigned to you has that experience. Just because the contractor has built such facilities it does not mean the staff assigned to your project has done so.
• One big thing to remember…have fun! Building a new facility is exciting and if people see you having fun with it their confidence in seeing a successful product grows. We have a lot of stressful things to deal with every day. Let the joy of bringing a new facility online help you stay excited about everything you do on the job.