The proposed trustee resolution, which includes language supporting the $281 million plan and reasonings for demolishing Millett Hall, which opened in 1968, states the sports arena “has served the university well for almost 60 years but due to its age it lacks modern accessibility features, has substantial accumulated deferred maintenance, its spaces are outdated and not fan friendly by today’s standards, and it no longer provides the university with the type of multi-use venue students and visitors enjoy, leading to fewer and fewer events occurring in the facility.”
The new arena, according to the resolution, would include “a practice court and volleyball arena in addition to the main court and be designed for multi-purpose uses enabling it is to meet the needs of multiple athletic teams, student activities, events and organizations, as well as the broader needs of the overall campus and community.”
Moreover, according to the resolution, “by constructing a new facility at Cook Field, instead of renovating Millett Hall, a new arena will not only better meet the needs of the entire university community but avoid the very difficult and expensive task of finding a temporary home for games and practices of Miami’s basketball and volleyball teams during the renovation of Millett Hall.”
The Cook Field site for the new arena has proved to be objectionable to some Miami students, alumni and Oxford residents who claim the recreational green space’s relative closeness to campus residence halls has lent itself to wide usage over decades for thousands.
Miami officials have countered, since first proposing the new arena site last year, that an alternative recreational field would be constructed with superior facilities near the current northern campus border location of Millett as a replacement.
School officials note in the proposed trustees’ action, “the decision to construct the new arena on the Cook Field site is expected to have the added potential benefit of leading to a developer constructed hotel and restaurant adjacent to the new arena making visits to campus more convenient for parents and friends of the university.”
Moreover, the project would also be “encouraging alumni to return for an extended stay to enjoy an athletic event and experience once again their fond memories of their college years in Oxford, and spur the economic development of the greater Oxford community.”
Millett Hall has received renewed attention and sell-out crowds since the fall, including some rare nationally televised games, as the Miami’s men’s basketball team has gone undefeated making it currently the only Division I team in America with a perfect record.
According to the resolution, “to proceed with the construction of a new arena and the related projects the initial $3,500,000 design and planning budget will need to be increased by $281,000,000, requiring that the University issue new debt in the amount of $281,000,000 to fund these costs that will require authorization from the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.”
The 17-member Miami Board of Trustees is scheduled to vote on the resolution its Friday meeting.
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