The Chicoine Events Center, the new 1,750-seat arena at Chadron State College and capstone of the school’s 2-year renovation and expansion of the Armstrong Gymnasium Building, officially opened yesterday with the state taking formal acceptance of the building. The grand opening is scheduled for next September.
Athletic Director Joel Smith says work on the Events Center portion of the project was essentially finished several days ago.
Smith is quick to add that “substantial completion” doesn’t mean the entire building is done, only that prime contractor Adolphson and Peterson has ended its work and what remains will be done by the college or by hiring additional contractors.
Although the college has been making the Chicoine Center available for tours for some time, especially before home football games, the first major event to show it off will be Monday…a free Open House from 5:30-7:00.
Smith says it will be a chance for basketball fans in particular to experience the horseshoe-shaped arena – which runs east to west – and pick their seats for season tickets.
. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will hold scrimmages during the open house and have 3-point and dunk contests, while one male and one female student not on the teams will have a to win their books for the second semester by making a half-court shot.
The first game in the Chicoine Center will be next Friday, November 14th, when the CSC men host Presentation College. The women will have their first game there on Tuesday the 18th.
The arena is named for longtime Chadron businessman and college benefactor Vern Chicoine, who donated $2.6-million dollars to the project through his estate. It remains the largest gift ever received by the Chadron State Foundation.
Funding also came from the Chadron State Foundation’s multi-year Vision 2011 capital campaign and $7-million dollars from the state, but the total fell well short of the estimated cost of the original plans.
Plans were reworked with some items dropped and others shifted to outside the contract to be done by college crews…bringing the total down to around $14-million.
Smith, who became athletic director last year when construction was already underway, says additional donations finally resulted in a project that tops $16-million dollars.
The main entrance and parking areas for the Chicoine Events Center are accessed from behind the Nelson Physical Activities Center and Elliott FIeld/Don Beebe Stadium. Fans enter on the mezzanine level from the southwestern corner of the building and go down to the stands…which include over 600 seats with collapsible backs.