Y. facilities big step up

PROVO — Since late April, Brandon Stephens has been working on a construction project for his summer internship.

It's not just any project, either.

Stephens, an offensive lineman for Brigham Young University's football team, works for Okland/Span, the group of companies building BYU's student athlete center and indoor practice facility.

As part of his duties, Stephens has compiled facts and figures about the two buildings.

He can tell you that both facilities contain 157,000 units of brick, 1,385 tons of structural steel, 7,579 cubic yards of concrete and 26,600 lineal feet of plumbing pipe.

Interesting stuff, sure, but what exactly does it all mean for BYU football?

"It's neat to see the program take itself to a new level," Stephens said. "I hope we as players realize these buildings represent the expectations that are on us. It's time to step up."

Step up, indeed — literally and figuratively.

For more than 20 years, BYU alumni, administrators and coaches have tried to figure out how to replace the outdated, overpopulated Smith Fieldhouse. Following a major fund-raising effort, the school broke ground Sept. 17 on the two buildings.

The price tag for the Student Athlete Center is $21 million. The Indoor Practice Facility costs $9 million, according to Athletic Director Val Hale, who guided tours of the two buildings on Tuesday. Another $19 million will be used as a maintenance endowment.

An additional $2 million still needs to be raised, Hale added.

Both buildings are set to be completed this fall — Oct. 15 for the Indoor Practice Facility and Nov. 25 for the Student Athlete Center.

"We're on schedule and on budget," Hale said. "That's good news on both counts."

Once completed, the buildings, located near the Smith Fieldhouse and the Richards Building, will rival the best facilities of their kind found anywhere around the country, college or pro, Hale said.

The Indoor Practice Facility is tall enough that it already serves as a Provo landmark. It will hold two artificial turf fields — a 50-yard field that will run east-west and another 50-yard field that will run north-south. At 106,000 square feet, the Indoor Practice Facility is big enough to house two 747 jet airliners side-by-side. It is 422 feet long, 222 feet wide and 93 feet high at its apex of the curved-steel roof.

BYU punter Matt Payne came into the building recently to do some punting. "He was in street clothes, but he couldn't hit the ceiling with the ball," Hale said. "It's plenty high."

And when inclement weather hits Provo, the Cougars' practices won't be hindered.