Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Derrick Manuat The bleachers in the Vadalabene Center will be replaced with finances approved during last week's Board of Trustees meeting.

Regardless of whether students are being entertained in the Vadalabene Center next year, they will definitely be more comfortable.

The old bleachers in the Vadalabene Center Gymnasium are going to be taken down and replaced by new ones, which should be functional by basketball season in the fall of 2008. The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees approved several SIUE projects in its Thursday, Sept. 20, meeting, including the $900,000 bleacher renovation project.

"The biggest problem with the old bleachers is that they're enormous; they're the largest ever built by the manufacturer," said Rich Walker, assistant vice chancellor for administration. "They're custom-built, and with their age and size, not everything works the way it's supposed to."

Walker said that parts of the bleachers have broken or needed repair many times over the years.

"Repairmen from the manufacturer have to be called each time, at great expense to the school," Walker said. According to him, commencement and other gatherings and events held in the gym have come close to being effected by the condition of the bleachers. Stability, accessibility, comfort and crowding have all been major issues for event planners.

"We need the (renovations)," said Jean Paterson, director of the Career Development Center. Paterson helps run the commencement ceremonies in the Vadalabene Center three times per year.

"The old ones are fine, but commencement ceremonies bring all sorts of different age groups. It will be a nicer arrangement. We also won't have to deal with issues such as pulling out the bleachers or the same degree of overcrowding. Commencement will still be crowded, but it will be more manageable."

The newly designed bleachers will go in the same space as the previous bleachers, and should not look remarkably different from the previous seats. There will be two sets of bleachers on each side rather than one large set. There will be seat backs on the courtside seats, while the mezzanine seating will remain the traditional bleacher style.

According to Walker, the two-tiered structure of the new bleachers will provide an opportunity for offices and classrooms to be placed underneath the top set of bleachers. Kinesiology and health education classes are already held in the Vadalabene Center, and the additional classroom space will go to those areas as well. The office space will be used for athletics personnel and additional room for storage will be available.

Mick Ostrander, director of Campus Recreation, supports the additional availability of other facilities due to the bleacher renovations. He also recognizes the need for changes.

"The old bleachers were an absolute nightmare for maintenance," Ostrander said. "They have failed repeatedly, and the school has been fortunate not to have to delay or postpone important events, such as commencements or career fairs."

Ostrander said the Vadalabene Center's main function is to support the educational process, and the addition of new classroom facilities, administrative offices and storage room underneath the top set of bleachers should be seen as some of the main benefits of the renovations.

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