Tennessee's State Building Commission has approved $500 million worth of improvement projects for University of Tennessee athletics facilities over the last decade, with roughly 30 percent of the $1.6 billion of the monies the state has approved going towards the Vols' football and baseball facilities in Knoxville.
Tennessee recently completed a $96 million renovation of the Vols' Lindsey Nelson baseball stadium, and the school is currently wrapping up work on $337 million in improvements at the school's Neyland Stadium, where the Vols' football team competes.
According to the Tennessee Lookout, funding for these large projects comes from athletics-generated revenue, including private donations, UT-Knoxville athletics plant funds and state bonds. No public funds are used, but the projects must be approved by the State Building Commission, which is made up of House and Senate speakers and the state’s constitutional officers, some of whom wear orange like a badge of honor.
“They know what needs to be invested in, and whether it’s a chemistry building or a football stadium, they know the balance of investments there, and I trust the board of directors to develop that strategy and put it before the state,” governor Bill Lee said, noting that he stays out of campus facilities decisions.
Democratic state Rep. Sam McKenzie of Knoxville supports the efforts, pointing out sporting events at the University of Tennessee help drive Knoxville’s economy.
“We’re a little more than a college town, but we’re heavily, heavily dependent on that to bring people in as a draw. So with baseball’s popularity going through the roof right now and football’s always been a mainstay there in East Tennessee, it brings the dollars in,” says McKenzie.
The Lookout notes that besides major projects for football and baseball, over the last 10 years the State Building Commission approved $5.6 million for a tennis center and Lindsey Nelson patio, $5 million for intramural field renovations, $1.25 million for LaPorte Stadium track repair, $4.75 million for Lee Stadium improvements, $3.6 million for a golf weight training facility and $1.1 million for Goodfriend Tennis Center replacement.
