Toso Pavilion will receive a facelift
By MARELL JANDACKA
The infamous Leavey Activities Center air-supported fabric roof is about to burst after 25 years.
For many years, the Leavey bubble has been a place where students go not only for sporting and recreational events, but for late night adventure where they can take in the best view of campus à and hopefully not get caught by Public Safety.
"I'm excited for the remodeling of Leavey but I must admit, I will be sad to see the bubble go," junior Tara Cano said. "The one thing I will really miss is sneaking up to the top and sliding all the way down."
The roof will be deflated on March 7, and construction will begin on a new proposed flat roof design.
"The flat roof design will have a very different look from the rest of campus," University Spokesperson Barry Holtzclaw said.
The project will cost an estimated $8.5 million. The majority of financial support is drawn from the university's Capital Campaign. However, other sources include outside fundraising and various donors.
"These new renovations will give Toso Pavilion a new, classy and upbeat look," senior Matt Hodson said. "Hopefully, this will bring a new excitement around volleyball and basketball season and recruitment."
Changes to the 5,000 seat Toso Pavilion will include new restrooms, an elevator and new offices for the athletic department. Other major changes are new bleachers, flooring, acoustics and sound and lighting systems. The entrance to the building will be shifted to face El Camino Real.
"By making these changes to Leavey, this will open up the possibility for concerts or special convocation events that we were inhibited from accommodating here before," Holtzclaw said.These changes will make the sound better for both announcers and spectators. In the bubble, the loud fans muffled the commmentary and made it difficult for the crowd to enjoy the game. This problem will be eliminated along with the temperature problem that was encountered during previous games. An all new climate control and mechanical system will be installed into the roof.
A larger outdoor swimming pool is proposed as part of the Leavey project. However, the extent of repairs and construction is still in question due to the success of additional fund-raising efforts.
Whether the construction of a new pool takes place or not, there will not be a swimming pool at the Leavey Activities Center this summer. The pool will be closed to replace the decking and to resurface the bottom.
The wear and tear of the bubble roof sparked the need for new renovations. During El Nino season, the fabric roof sprung a few leaks that needed repairing. The main reason for the construction, however, is to give Leavey a new look.
The Toso Pavilion construction will complete the university's $68 million five-year building plan. Most of the other renovations to residence halls and building facilities have been constructed or are already underway.
Sometime later this year, the details of another five-year building plan will be announced. Possible projects on the agenda include a renovation of the library. However, this plan will tentatively not begin until 2001.
The Leavey construction project is expected to be completed midway through the 2000 volleyball season. Therefore, this may effect the team's practices and games, which would then be held in Pat Malley Fitness Center.
After the last bolt to Toso Pavilion has been secured into place, the memories of the bubble will not die with its deflation but will instead linger in the minds of past and present Santa Clara students.