Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato President Richard Davenport has approved a feasibility study to determine the need for an indoor “sports bubble” on the Minnesota State Mankato campus and is looking for widespread input into the process. The campus is outgrowing its indoor facilities and is interested in working with the Mankato community to determine if both the needs of the university and the community can be addressed with this single project.
In support of this initiative, Minnesota State University, Mankato will hold several meetings on Wednesday, Jan. 23 to mark the beginning of a feasibility study to determine the potential for an indoor, air-supported multi-sport and recreation facility (“sports bubble”) on campus.
A meeting intended for the internal campus audience will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Ostrander Auditorium. A public meeting will occur from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Taylor Center, Room 80 (a new auditorium-style classroom on the lower level of the Taylor Center). For the evening meeting, there is free public parking in Lot 20 (corner of Stadium Road and Warren Street).
A third meeting will be held the same day with the Minnesota State Student Association (MSSA), which is Minnesota State Mankato’s student government organization.
Minnesota State Mankato has retained the Sports Facility Development & Management Group to oversee and manage the feasibility study, which will evaluate possible campus, community, and regional interest and support for this facility.
The feasibility study will help determine possible sources of private support for the project through facility usage, sponsorship, and other revenues, and whether or not the project will move to the next phase of planning.
Rick Straka, Minnesota State Mankato’s vice president for finance and administration, said the feasibility study is being conducted in conjunction with the university’s facility master plan update.
“A major portion of the study will be to determine the amount of possible non-university programming demand in the region and to identify the corresponding revenue streams which might help support the cost of building and operating such a facility,” said Straka.
Among the university offices and departments involved in setting up the feasibility study are Facilities Management, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of Campus Recreation and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
For more information, contact Kevin Buisman, Minnesota State Mankato’s director of athletics, by phone at 389-6111, or by email at kevin.buisman@mnsu.edu.
Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,413 students, is part of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system, which comprises 31 state institutions.
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