- Dale Duff Reporting ([email protected])
University of Maine officials have unveiled the master plan for facilities upgrades, thanks to the $90 million dollar gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation last fall. The plan calls for improvements for all 17 teams on the Orono campus.
Perhaps the one that catches the most attention is a new 3,000 seat multi-purpose center that will be the new home for on-campus basketball teams. The Black Bears currently call the Cross Center in Bangor its home.
The new multi-purpose center will be located at one end of the Alfond football stadium. The center will also house administrative offices, coaches offices and locker rooms.
The master plan calls new mini-stadiums with turf for soccer and field hockey teams, new turf and other improvements for both baseball and softball programs, a new 100,000 square foot ‘Speed Dome’ for football and track/field practice, the current Mahaney Dome will be improved and expanded by 60%, Memorial Gym and Wallace Pool will be updated, Morse Field for football gets renovations including new turf. And, Alfond Arena and Shaw Walsh Center will see major improvements and expansion.
“For many years our athletes have been performing in outdated and even crumbling, cramped facilities. Thanks to the generosity of the Alfond Foundation and support from university leadership, we will be able to provide the quality of facilities necessary for our Black Bears to compete on a national level,” said UM athletics director Ken Ralph.
“We are also using this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to equity and to show our dedication to making Orono the go-to destination for sports in Maine for athletes of all ages,” Ralph said. “Our students, our fans, and the local community have waited a long time for these improvements, and we are excited to get started.” – UMaine Press Release
For more details on master plan, click here UMAINE ATHLETICS / ALFOND FOUNDATION MASTER PLAN
