$2M Increase for Yost Renovation OK’d

University of Michigan regents authorized a $2 million increase in the budget for renovations at Yost Ice Arena, with the additional funds to cover more detailed historic window replacements and higher-than-expected costs for steel and new bleachers. The approval came at the regents’ March 15, 2012 meeting.

The project’s original $14 million budget had been approved by regents at their June 2011 meeting, with a schematic design authorized in October 2011. In January 2012, regents authorized issuing bids and awarding construction contracts within the $14 million budget. At that time Tim Slottow, the university’s chief financial officer, had indicated this request for an increased budget was in the offing, dependent on securing more donations for the project.

The project includes replacing seating on the east, south and west sides of the rink, improving accessibility and emergency exits, converting the west side media balcony into a series of loge boxes, adding a new level five on the west side for media, and constructing new corner and stair platforms for additional seating. The project will be paid for out of athletic department revenues and donations, and has been designed by Rossetti Architects Inc. of Southfield, Mich. Renovation are expected to be finished by the fall of 2012.

This brief was filed from the Michigan Union’s Pendleton Room on UM’s Ann Arbor campus, where regents held their March meeting. A more detailed report will follow: [link]