September 07, 2001

WKU Regents Approve Agreement With City Of Bowling Green For Diddle Arena, Athletics Renovations

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University's Board of Regents on Friday approved an agreement with the City of Bowling Green to sell up to $32.5 million in bonds to renovate E.A. Diddle Arena and make other improvements.

"With the input of a lot of parties, we now have a stronger agreement, a better agreement," said WKU President Gary Ransdell. "This action puts us in a position to move forward with the project."

The Bowling Green City Commission gave its approval to the agreement earlier in the day. Mayor Sandy Jones said a renovated Diddle Arena will benefit both Western and the city by becoming an attractive venue for various activities, such as concerts.

The city will sell the bonds and engage the architects and contractors for the project, Dr. Ransdell said. In turn, the University will repay the city for the debt service on the bonds through its student athletics fee, he said.

Before actual construction can begin, the General Assembly will have to authorize the project when it begins meeting in January. The Hilltopper Athletic Foundation has agreed to cover any startup costs the city might incur that are not covered by the bond proceeds.

Planned improvements to Diddle Arena include installation of air conditioning, new seating, video boards and the construction of luxury boxes. Other improvements include expanding parking, a pedway from the new parking areas to the arena and replacing the natural grass at Feix Field with a synthetic turf.

The renovations in Diddle will take place between April and September of 2002, Dr. Ransdell said. Much of the work will be prefabricated, he said, so the arena will be available for use in September.

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