NSU multipurpose event center groundbreaking ceremony is May 3

(Tahlequah, Okla.)--President Steve Turner and Northeastern State University invite members of the campus and Tahlequah communities to attend the ground breaking ceremony for the new multipurpose event center at 10a.m. on May 3.

The brief program will be held in a tent near the intersection ofNorth Street and North Grand Avenue. Adjacent parking will beavailable. The still-unnamed facility will stand on the northwest corner of North and Grand between the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry and Doc Wadley Stadium.

The building will house more than 78,000 square feet. The floor plancalls for 69 rooms including six locker rooms. Amenities will also include a video screening room, an athletics shop, a suite of offices for coaches and staff, concession areas, laundry facilities, a ticket office and a room for the athletic and alumni associations.

Permanent seating capacity will be about 3,000. However, configurations using floor and mezzanine space will permit the seatingof additional people.

Construction is expected to last 14 months and the anticipated openingdate is Aug. 1, 2013. Architect of record is Crafton Tull. Contruction manager is Nabholz Construction Services. Building expenses will bepaid through previously approved bond funds, dedicated university capital funds, fee revenue above debt service and interest earnings.

For more information about the groundbreaking ceremony call 918-444-2000.