UGA Athletic Board Report
By Danny Bishop
UGA ATHLETICS
A fiscal year 2013 budget of $92,130,725 and three facility-related projects were approved Thursday highlighting the quarterly meeting of the University of Georgia Athletic Association Board of Directors.
The facility-related projects totaling an estimated $2,731,000 include:
1. $1,006,000 to upgrade scoreboards at baseball, softball and soccer. The existing scoreboards at each of these venues have been in service for seven years. The upgrades would replace the video displays which will provide an enhanced game-day experience for fans and student-athletes.
2. $1,350,000 to begin the process of renovations to Foley Field. A segment of the funds will be dedicated to aesthetic enhancements to the facility, which includes a sound system improvement, new landscaping beyond the outfield wall and improvements to Kudzu Hill, which will be completed prior to the 2013 baseball season. A segment of funds will be dedicated to an architect and engineer and construction manager to begin planning for renovations and enhances to the main entry, exterior plaza, concourses, concession stands and rest rooms, and handicapped accessibility throughout the facility, which would include renovations to the press box. A timetable for this segment of the project has not been determined.
3. $375,000 for Sanford Stadium Gate 10 renovations (under the bridge). The project improves the main entrance gate and passageway to include a large arched entry portal and piers, wider pathways, and new campus standard light poles to improve safety features.
The athletic director’s report also included an update on the three-year extension of football coach Mark Richt’s contract. The contract, which is expected to be finalized and signed soon, will provide the potential for performance bonuses to double from the current $400,000 maximum to $800,000. Included will be bonuses for appearances in the SEC Championship game, BCS national championship game, BCS non-championship bowl game, non-BCS bowl games, and top five finish in the national polls. There is also a provision for a team academic performance bonus of $50,000 which was part of his current contract.