ST. BONAVENTURE — It’s been a busy summer at St. Bonaventure University as more than 15 projects are underway or completed in the upgrade of athletic facilities across the campus.

Some projects, representing at least $25 million of planned investment — from new basketball locker rooms and other improvements in the Reilly Center to extensive upgrades to the baseball and softball teams’ facilities — are more visible and prominent than others, SBU reported Aug. 21.

In one of the latest developments, a gift from Michael and Kristeen Hickey, both from the Class of 1984, means St. Bonaventure will have a new outdoor tennis complex.

Construction is underway on the six-court facility, located southeast of the Bonnies softball field. The project is expected to be completed by the end of October.

Michael Hickey is chair of the university’s Board of Trustees; Kristeen Hickey played tennis for the Bonnies during her time at SBU. Their gift will cover the entire cost of the project, which will include lighting, bleachers and parking.

“With the sweeping changes that continue to impact the intercollegiate athletics landscape, facilities still matter a great deal,” said Bob Beretta, vice president and director of athletics.

“The incredible generosity of Michael and Kris will provide a fantastic outdoor tennis complex that will remain a key component of our overall athletic facility master plan,” he added. “We are extremely grateful for their visionary gift, one that will not only serve our student-athletes, but the entire St. Bonaventure community.”

The university noted the tennis courts on the west side of campus, constructed in 2004, are beyond repair and no longer a viable training option for a Division I college program.

The new location was selected as the university continues to build out the entire athletics complex with all athletic facilities in one general location.

MEANWHILE, SOME of the more extensive athletics facilities projects include:

• Handler Park at McGraw-Jennings Field for baseball: addition of seating areas, concourse, press box, backstop and netting system as well as replacement and extension of infield turf.
• Men’s basketball locker room: full renovation and redesign.
• Basketball video/meeting room: new space for men’s and women’s basketball.
• Father Gerald Tunnel: newly constructed leading to the arena from the locker room areas.
• Basketball hallway: new ceiling tile, lighting, floor tile and men’s and women’s basketball branding.
• Reilly Center: full ticket office suite renovation; new ceiling tile, lighting, flooring and stairway treads in the main concourse; and new portable basket stanchions in the arena.
• Men’s and women’s cross country/track locker rooms: new dedicated locker rooms for the more than 80 members of the Bona running programs.
• Baseball locker room: new dedicated locker room.
• Men’s lacrosse coaches suite: new area for men’s lacrosse coaches offices.
• HVAC work: extensive improvements to the Reilly Center infrastructure has been completed to enhance air circulation, heating and cooling for locker room areas.
• Softball infrastructure: Ground work scheduled to improve internet and broadcast capabilities at Joyce Field.
• Softball camera system: installing new six-camera system to enhance training evaluation and game day broadcasts.
• Officials locker room: develop new space for game day officials.
• University Fitness Center renovation: installation of new carpeting on all three floors.
• Fitness Center Sports Medicine area: developed new space dedicated to sports medicine.
• Branding: Phase 2 of athletic facility rebrand with new logos inside the Reilly Center and other athletic areas.

This photo from St. Bonaventure University shows construction of new seating and a press box at Handler Park at McGraw-Jennings Field, the home of Bonnies baseball.

St. Bonaventure University

IN DECEMBER, St. Bonaventure announced extensive plans for new and upgraded athletics facilities, with two major components totaling $23 million — an Athletic Performance Center (APC) expected to cost $15 million and a new track and turf field expected to cost $8 million.

All of the athletics facility projects were to be funded through philanthropic support or grants, the university said.

The APC, which will be built next to the east side of Reilly Center, will be 25,647 square feet and include three main components: a strength and conditioning center, sports medicine  and a student-athlete lounge and nutrition station.

Plans are also for an eight-lane competition track on the Marra Athletics Complex, just south of the current multipurpose field. SBU hasn’t had a track on campus since Charlie Major track was removed in 2004. The new track will allow the Bonnies’ men’s and women’s distance track teams to add to their rosters and give athletes who compete in sprint, jump and field events a facility of their own on campus.

A second artificial turf field will also be built inside the track, allowing greater access for field time by more teams and decreasing the wear and tear on one facility. The entire track and field will also have lighting and fields will be accessible from several directions by new concrete pathways, leading to a shared grandstand with bleachers facing both directions. At the top of the grandstand will be a press box for game broadcasts and operations and an outdoor VIP seating area.

The men’s basketball locker room renovations were budgeted at $800,000, while the Handler Park upgrades for baseball were budgeted at $1.5 million.

OVER THE WINTER, the University Fitness Center on West State Street in Olean, saw artificial turf added to a large indoor practice space utilized by the baseball, softball and golf teams. Golf’s indoor practice spaces will also receive a facelift with new turf and simulators added to two of the team’s three practice bays.

“We remain laser-focused on enhancing our athletic facilities to elevate the competitiveness of all of our athletic programs, and most importantly to improve the overall experience for all our student-athletes,” Beretta said. “We developed an extremely aggressive facility renovation plan during the winter months and have been actively engaged in executing the plan on a daily basis since the middle of May.

“We feel that every one of our student-athletes will benefit in some manner from the extensive work we have and will complete,” he said.