SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Construction is underway for Sacramento State’s planned event center nearly a year after it was announced, according to university officials.
The Sacramento State Athletic Department told ABC10 construction has begun, but there is no timeline for completion. The project is set to convert part of The Well, an on-campus fitness facility, into a venue for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Recently, an offer was extended to play at the Golden 1 Center if Sacramento State moves to either the Pac-12 or Mountain West due to the size of their current venue, but the plan is for the Hornets to call the new event center home.
“Moving forward, Sacramento State plans to play home basketball games at The Well,” the university’s athletic department told ABC10 in a statement.
The Nest, the school’s current basketball venue, has a seating capacity of 1,012 people. It’s considered to be one of the oldest NCAA Division I facilities, according to the university’s athletic website.
The seating capacity of the newly planned venue hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected to have lighting, scoreboards, video boards and a public address system.
Upon completion, the event center will also be used for competitions for the university’s women’s volleyball and gymnastics teams, intramural and club sports, along with entertainment and guest speaker events.
The event center was announced nearly a year before there were plans for a new 25,000-seat football stadium.
The proposed stadium is slated to replace the current Hornet Stadium site. The Well is located near Hornet Stadium.
In November 2023, university officials announced funding to build the event center after board members for the Union WELL Inc., the nonprofit that oversees the University Union and The Well, unanimously passed a resolution for the project.
The event center is projected to cost $5.2 million. Sacramento State is paying for the project design, which is estimated to cost $300,000.
Impacts on construction
During the renovation process, students will have access to The Well during business hours but will be restricted to use the gym box, according to gym’s website.
The gym box is the four-sport court space within The Well where students can play basketball, volleyball, badminton and pickleball. The space is also used for intramural and club sports.
The area also has an indoor track, which will be impacted during certain times during the construction project.
For those who have questions, comments or feedback, students, faculty and alumni can fill out an online form in regard to the event center.
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