COLUMBIA, S.C. (Nov. 16, 2006) -- The University of South Carolina Building and Grounds committee unanimously recommended the "Roost" footprint for the Athletics Department Master Plan of Facilities at a meeting held today. The master plan will go before the entire Board of Trustees for final approval in December.

This is a significant day for Carolina Athletics," said South Carolina Athletics Director Eric Hyman. "This is a master plan for the long-term - a blueprint for us to follow for the next 10 to 15 years. It took an extreme amount of due diligence from a number of people, both from within and from outside the University, working together to make this happen. Now that we have an overall concept, we can prioritize our needs and begin phasing in specific projects."

The master plan has three distinctive elements - building a new baseball stadium, re-developing the 41-acres known as "The Roost" and addressing the current and future needs of football at Williams-Brice Stadium. The baseball project is currently underway and will be completed in time to open the 2009 season. "The Roost" tract will include an academic enrichment center, an athletics administration building, a state-of-the-art sports medicine facility, a volleyball facility, a Gamecock Club building, improvements to the tennis courts, soccer practice fields, softball stadium and outdoor track, and a new all-purpose field that would accommodate women's lacrosse. Improvements would also be made to Stone Stadium and to the indoor practice facility. The upgrading of Williams-Brice Stadium includes new athletics training facilities and team locker rooms, and the enclosure of the north end zone to expand stadium seating and add office space.

Eric Hyman Athletics Director

Hyman addressed several of the more frequently asked questions regarding the master plan for facilities:

What is a master plan?
"A master plan is an overall long-range blueprint for the future. This is a map for the University to follow for the next five, 10 and 15 years. It is a general concept of the direction we would like to go. As we move forward and priorities change, we will periodically review the master plan and make any necessary alterations. The final product will not necessarily reflect the artist renderings on display today."

How will the project be completed?
"In phases. The first phase is the baseball stadium. Phase II will include the academic enrichment center and address some needs at Williams-Brice Stadium, including the sports medicine area and football locker rooms. After that, we will prioritize the various projects. Those priorities are fluid and can change over time. We need to be flexible in short term strategies while keeping an eye on the long-term goals."

How much will it cost?
"We estimate that to complete the entire project, it would cost about $194 million in today's dollars. The baseball stadium alone is about a $24 million project."

How much do you hope to raise?
"This is an on-going project that will continue until we are able to complete the master plan. We are in the Southeastern Conference - the best conference in the country -and want all of our sports to compete at the highest level, both in the conference and nationally. To do that, we have tremendous challenges ahead of us. We need the support of the entire Gamecock Nation to give our coaches and student-athletes the best opportunity to be successful."

How will the money be raised?
"Through any revenue stream that we can generate. Obviously, philanthropy is a key component, but everything is on the table. We will analyze and evaluate all potential revenue sources."

How much money has already been raised?
"The fundraising efforts to make this a reality are part of the University's comprehensive capital campaign. We have been in the "silent" phase of the University's capital campaign for the past few months. At this point, we have made a minimal amount of solicitations related to athletics, but our reception has been outstanding. We first had to develop our master plan to show prospective contributors what they could expect before we could ask them for a gift. Now that the master plan has been established, we can focus more on solicitations."

How quickly can this get started?
"The baseball stadium is already underway. We want to get started on the academic enrichment center immediately. Obviously, we have to be respectful of the process that is involved when building a new facility. As most everyone is aware, one of the major roadblocks in the construction of the baseball stadium was over the site location. With our master plan in place, the site for the academic center has already been established. In December, we will be seeking financial approval to begin the architectural phase for that facility."

How will projects be prioritized?
"We start with concepts and develop them into phases. There are many factors involved in prioritizing the projects. Obviously, philanthropy and funding will play a key role. But there is also a ripple-effect that occurs where you have to work on one area to complete another area. Some things have to happen in sequence based on the configuration we have developed. There will be some challenges in the timing of these events. Some adjustments will have to be made by some of our teams in the interim to reach the ultimate goal. There has to be a shared vision and shared sacrifice."

Are all of these concepts new?
"They are all new concepts, with the exception of the enclosure of the north end zone at Williams-Brice Stadium. That concept was developed years ago, but does have some new modifications."

Why did it take so long to develop this master plan?
"We have been working on this since I arrived at South Carolina in the summer of 2005. We tried to do it as quickly as possible, but to be honest, it took a little longer than I originally anticipated. We spent a considerable amount of time studying the feasibility of renovating the coliseum, but in the end, that was not the best direction to go. I believe a couple extra months on the front end of this project will be time well spent as we move ahead over the next 10-15 years."

Who will be the point-person to oversee the master plan?
"We have asked John Moore to come back and act as a consultant to the athletics department. He will be the gatekeeper of the master plan and monitor the development of all the facilities."

Why are these facilities important?
"Simply, we want to attract the best and the brightest to the University of South Carolina. We have some tremendous facilities on campus. The Fitness and Wellness Center is outstanding. The new Honors College housing is impressive. Our West Quad "Green" dorm is a national model. The "Horseshoe" area is one of the most attractive in Columbia. We want our athletics presentation to mirror that of the University's."

Who do I contact for more information on the capital campaign?
"Contact the athletic department capital campaign office at (803) 777-0697."