Penn State Trustees Approve Further Football Renovations

The $7.5 plan will "significantly improve practice conditions" for football and other sports, proposal says.

Penn State's Board of Trustees approved a $7.5 million plan to upgrade the football team's practice facilities with new video technology and other tools that multiple teams will use.

Renovations will occur at the Lasch Football Complex's outdoor practice fields and Holuba Hall, the indoor facility that the football team shares with other sports programs. According to Penn State's athletic department, the project will be debt funded and budgeted at no more than $7.5 million.

The project "will significantly improve practice conditions" for the football team, the board was told in a presentation, and benefit at least 12 sports programs that use Holuba Hall. The board approved the plan Friday with one dissenting vote.

Upgrades include the addition of a permanent scoreboard in Holuba Hall with "enhanced audio and video capabilities," which the athletic department said would help the facility maximize practice time for multiple sports programs.

An outdoor turf field adjacent to Lasch will be upgraded as well. The plan calls for the addition of a goal post and netting, a play clock and fixed cameras for filming practices.

Bill Sitzabee, Chief Facilities Officer at Penn State, said the upgrades will enhance safety by creating camera platforms for video crew filming practices, thus eliminating the need for cranes.

In addition, Sitzabee told Penn State's Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning that the renovations will support "gameday-like simulations" with a permanent video board and new sound system at the outdoor practice field.

The architect firm HOK of Philadelphia will perform the work.

Penn State last year completed a $48.3 million renovation of the Lasch Football Building that included a weight-room expansion, upgrades to sports medicine facilities and other infrastructure needs. The work represented the first phase of a $69 million plan for Lasch that Penn State's trustees approved in 2019.

The Lasch work was part of Penn State's 2017 athletic facilities master plan, which included several proposed projects that are on pause. Among them are the Center of Excellence, a 450,000-square-foot facility that would serve as the home for Penn State sports, and a new 108,000-square-foot indoor practice facility that would supplement Holuba Hall.

Penn State completed a 11-2 season in 2022, defeating Utah in the Rose Bowl. The 11-win season was the fourth for head coach James Franklin, who brought the Rose Bowl trophy to the board meeting.

"We're very aware of what we need to do in terms of taking the next step," Franklin told the board.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.