Indiana State University’s plan to spend up to $50 million to renovate Hulman Center has received final state approval.
On Friday, the State Budget Committee approved the request during a meeting at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
The $50 million includes use of a $37.5 million state appropriation initially intended for a larger project that also involved a new, adjoining convention center and local partners. In August, ISU withdrew from the convention center project.
“I’m a very happy person ... and excited that we’ll be able to move forward with this and hopefully get construction started in March or April,” ISU President Dan Bradley said in a telephone interview soon after the committee’s vote.
Also attending the meeting were Greg Goode, ISU executive director of government relations, and Diann McKee, senior vice president for finance.
McKee made the presentation.
Bradley said committee members didn’t ask any questions. “They thanked [McKee] for her presentation and us for our patience in getting this approved. That was it.”
The project is important for ISU and the community,” Bradley said. “It means we will really have an up-to-date, multi-purpose facility, and we will be able to have significantly more activity at Hulman Center.”
Once completed, “we’ll be able to get people in and out easier and it will be a much more attractive building,” Bradley said. “I think we’ll be able to attract more events,” particularly with improvements to the north loading dock.
Design is complete, and he anticipates the project going to bid around February, with construction starting as soon as possible after basketball season ends. Renovation is anticipated to occur over about 26 months, and the university will continue to hold limited activities during the renovation period — including commencement and ISU basketball.
Bradley, who steps down as ISU president in January, said obtaining approval for the Hulman Center project was a high priority. “It was at the very top end of things I wanted to get done before the end of my time here. It’s a very good feeling.” The university will support local partners if they choose to pursue a “phased project,” in which they would fund, and construct, a convention center at a later time, he said.
Initially, the General Assembly approved the $37.5 million appropriation to Indiana State in 2015, to be used as a one-to-one match for the proposed $75 million project to create a convention and arena complex.
Other partners included Terre Haute city government, Vigo County government and the Terre Haute Convention & Visitors Bureau; the partners, as well as ISU representatives, made up the Capital Improvement Board.
In August, Indiana State announced it was withdrawing from the convention center proposal after financing for the project, including a remaining $12.5 million funding gap, remained unresolved. The local partners had pledged about $25 million.
McKee had previously stated that after two years of working with local partners, “We have been unable to secure a firm financial commitment for the entire project.” She described “fiscal constraints” involving city and county government that “make their financial participation difficult at this juncture.”
ISU also had concerns about project delays, which were adding to costs and decreasing the amount of money available for the project.
While local partners sought, and received, a delay in action by the State Budget Committee to try to resolve differences, the local partners ultimately supported ISU in its efforts to secure approval for Hulman Center funding.
Jon Marvel, Vigo County commissioner and president of the Capital Improvement Board, issued the following statement after the State Budget Committee’s action:
“As promised, we supported ISU’s efforts in requesting the $37.5 million from the state after they turned down our letter of compromise. We hope these funds will do what they need to do to the facility. The community members of the CIB will continue to work toward a new plan for a convention center that will face our downtown and provide economic promise to our community and our region,” Marvel said.
Renovation of Hulman Center, built in 1973, is necessary to replace mechanical and electrical systems as well as the building’s failing metal exterior. It has only one elevator and the loading dock doesn’t meet modern needs. The project also calls for updating safety systems, including a new fire protection system.
In addition to the $37.5 million state appropriation, the project also will be funded through gifts ($1 million), cash reserves ($4.7 million) and debt not funded through state appropriation. Bradley and Goode thanked members of the Indiana General Assembly, former Gov. Mike Pence and current Gov. Eric Holcomb, for their support of the project.
They also cited the efforts of State Sen. Jon Ford and State Rep. Bob Heaton.
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