Spanos Stadium Renovation Begins At Cal Poly

Renovation work is underway at Cal Poly - a first step in transforming the aging Mustang Stadium into the gleaming Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

Cal Poly has awarded the stadium construction contract to Maino Construction of San Luis Obispo. Work on the project is expected to take one year, with completion anticipated in August 2006.

The first phase of the construction will expand available seating by 1,500 seats. When the first phase is completed, the stadium will hold a total of 10,000 fans.

The bleachers on the west side of the field will be the first to come down, with temporary seating for fans constructed at the field's north end. Demolition and construction phases will not interfere with the 2005 Mustang football or soccer seasons, according to project manager Perry Judd.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 22, some changes will be made to vehicle and pedestrian traffic patterns and parking availability on campus. Vehicle and pedestrian access to the area will be restricted to residents living adjacent to the stadium near the Union Pacific railroad crossing. For all others, California Boulevard through campus will be closed to through traffic. This section will remain closed for a year.

Mustang Stadium was built in 1935, with some renovations made in the 1970s and 1980s.

Commenting on the stadium renovation project, Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker observed, "We are very grateful to Alex G. Spanos for making it possible, through his generosity, for us to undertake long-needed improvements in this critically important venue for athletic, community and other university events."

Parking spaces on California Boulevard near the stadium will be eliminated, and Parking Lot C-1 just south of the stadium will be closed permanently. During construction, the lot will be used as a staging area. Later it will become the site of the Memorial Plaza dedicated to the 16 football players, a graduate student assistant and a Mustang booster who died in a tragic plane crash in 1960.

Eight large palm trees along California Boulevard will be relocated or replaced.

The Alex G. Spanos Stadium will be a concrete and steel-frame facility. The single-tier configuration will have bench seating, beginning four feet above the playfield surface and rising to skyboxes at 37 feet. Towers at each end (to house elevators), traditional Spanish-tile roofing and a stucco finish were designed to lend an early-California Mission flavor.

The lower concourse will house new restrooms, while the upper concourse will feature eight skybox-suites, an expanded press room, and radio and television booths. New field lighting will improve playing conditions for night games.

The base construction cost is $14.5 million. The projected total cost of the project is approximately $21.5 million.

"Gifts from Alex Spanos, Richard O'Neill and other supporters have provided important momentum, but efforts are ongoing to secure the funds to further develop this first-class facility," said Chris Baker, associate athletic director for advancement.

"This facility will provide our football and soccer programs with a modern venue comparable to the best NCAA Division IAA facilities in the country," said Athletics Director Alison Cone.

A groundbreaking ceremony will take place Saturday, Sept. 10, at 3 p.m. That night at 6, the Mustang football team plays its home opener against Sacramento State.

Media Contact: Susan McDonald, Public Affairs, (805) 756-7109