Southern marks construction on $6.5 million Athletic Complex

Students and supporters of Southern University will be excited as they watch crews build the new Intramural Athletic Complex on the Baton Rouge campus, Chancellor James L. Llorens said today at the groundbreaking ceremony for the facility.

The $6.5 million structure will be a showpiece for the students and the Southern community, Llorens said.

The 33,578 square-foot building, located near the apartments and dorm complexes on the north side of the campus, is expected to be completed sometime in late spring or early summer of 2013. It will include basketball courts, along with volleyball, aerobics, weight-lifting and exercise areas. There will also be locker rooms and a lounge area.

Anna Jones, the president of the Southern University System Foundation, said, “I hope the facility and what it does for the landscape of this campus will move alumni to dig deep to support the needs of this university.”

The Athletic Complex is the final piece associated with a $60 million bond project that included new student residence halls, the expansion of A.W. Mumford Stadium, and other construction.

Willie McCorkle, president of the SU Student Government Association, said students will be “very excited” when the facility is completed. “This will definitely be the place to be.”

The architectural firm on the project is M3A Architects of Jackson, Miss. The contractor is D. Honoré Construction of Baton Rouge.

(To see a photo album from the groundbreaking event, please click on the following link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150693974114567.337798.116700329566&type=3