Michigan State University is on track to debut a series of athletics facilities upgrades with the start of the new school year.
The school has two upgrades to Spartan Stadium in the works, including a permanent field lighting solution that was installed over the summer and ran its first successful test on Monday.
Jeff Bonk, a project delivery supervisor with MSU’s Infrastructure Planning and Facilities department, told the Lansing State Journal, “There’s some site restoration to do around the poles, but we’re done otherwise.”
The lighting installation includes the construction of two lighting towers at the northeast and southeast corners of the stadium, along with a bank of lights flanking the top of the west tower press box. The project budget came in around $2 million.
Spartan Stadium had previously been lit by temporary field lights, paid for under contract by television networks at between $60,000 and $65,000 per game.
The second stadium upgrade, expected to be complete in August, is a renovation of the south gate along with a 20,000-square-foot addition to the south end that will provide expanded bathroom facilities and a concessions stand. The addition cost MSU approximately $13 million.
MSU is also in the midst of a $50 million renovation of the Breslin Student Events Center, which houses the school’s basketball programs. The renovation includes the curation of the Tom Izzo Basketball Hall of History, which will hold a grand opening this fall.
