Tuesday afternoon, UCLA broke ground on a new era in the historic campus icon Pauley Pavilion.

After months of planning, construction on the project is finally beginning.

The $136 million project will give the historic arena an outside-face lift with the addition of an outer concourse.

Inside, the arena will have new team locker rooms, a reconstructed bowl and a movement of the student section to wrap around the east and south sides of the court.

The first stage of the project will begin within the next two weeks. Contractors will begin building the outer concourse as well as the underground additions on the north side under Bruin Walk.

Ken Weiner, senior associate athletic director, said students can expect to see land movers on campus within two weeks.

They will begin excavating on the north side of Pauley Pavilion for the underground additions such as new lockers rooms, a weight room, film room and student-athlete lounge.

The stadium will have limited access through March 2011, at which point the arena will be permanently closed through fall 2012.

Fundraising for the project, projecting to bring in $100 million, is currently at just over $65 million. Despite the nearly $35 million in private donations remaining, the university is going forward with the project.

In the July 2009 regents meeting, the board approved $60 million in long-term debt financing, so the university can begin the project without all their pledges in hand.

The arena is tabbed to undergo a two-and-a-half year renovation that includes necessary safety changes to make it a state-of-the art multipurpose facility.

University officials, along with Bruin athletes and coaches, gathered outside the east concourse of Pauley Pavilion to celebrate the arena’s first renovation since it was built in 1965.

Chuck White, the public address announcer for men’s basketball games, called the renovation “a new era at Pauley Pavilion.”

Chancellor Gene Block said in a speech that Pauley Pavilion has been a “bookend of the UCLA experience for undergraduates,” adding that the arena that has housed 39 national championships is critical to campus life.

Vice Chancellor Janina Montero, All-American gymnast Anna Li, Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Vice Chair of the Campaign of Champions Matt Pauley joined Block and White to break ground on the project and enjoy the warm afternoon with current students, alumni and other project supporters.

And with the ceremonies now behind it, the university will brace itself for the renovation set to revolutionize the arena, starting with the addition of an outer concourse that will wrap around the building, as well as adding various team amenities under the North Concourse.

And with the renovation set to cause significant disruption to Bruin Walk foot traffic on the north side of the arena, UCLA teams will continue to play in Pauley Pavilion through March 2011.

Students can expect to see major construction on the North Concourse behind the chain-link fences erected last weekend, beginning within the next two weeks, said Weiner in a meeting with reporters on Tuesday morning.

Weiner oversees the business operations for the Athletic Department and is the point person for major capital programs.

“All events will take place (through March 2011) as scheduled, except graduation,” Weiner said.

Until the inside of the arena is shut down in March 2011, people will still have limited access to the outside.

Weiner said there may be as few as three doors open on a daily basis, but more can be opened for major events such as men’s basketball games.

Gates 13 and 14, as well as the restrooms and concession stands adjacent to the gate, will remain closed, as underground excavation will render that area unstable.

After construction bids came in significantly under budget, the Athletic Department revised the original $185 million budget and submitted a proposed $136 million renovation to the Regents.

The revised model budgeted $100 million in private donations from the Campaign of Champions, $15 million from the Student Seismic Fee and $21 million in long term debt financing.

The $15 million in students fees was finalized after Steve Olsen, vice chancellor of Finance, Budget and Capital Programs, approximated using $10 million from the Student Seismic Fee in April, according to Bruin archives. The $15 million is expected to offset vital renovation to seismic life and safety issues.

The long-term debt will fill any gaps left in under-fundraising. The department currently has $375,000 in long-term debt from the renovation and expansion of the J.D. Morgan Center.

Shawn Heilbron, assistant athletic director in charge of major gifts, is heading the fundraising efforts and said the department already has about one third of the $65 million in cash while the rest remain in pledges.

Most of the pledges are to be paid out over five years, and most are currently in their first or second year, Heilbron said.

Guerrero said reaching the $100 million is not for sure, given the difficult economic climate.

He said they have been fortunate to have low construction bids and have received some major gifts.

“It’s never an absolute,” Guerrero said about reaching the $100 million goal.

Guerrero said they have more than 600 donors, many of whom are in the $30,000 to $60,000 range. The men’s basketball team’s disappointing season has not affected donations, he added.

“We have, what we would say, some significant asks on the table that we know that we’ll be able to deliver,” Guerrero said.

The arena may also have an attachment name, where individual or corporate sponsors may have their name along with Edwin W. Pauley, the arena’s original lead donor, in its name.

Guerrero said that the attachment name was a possibility since he began discussing the renovation with Pauley’s grandson, Matt Pauley.

Guerrero did not give an estimate on the cost of attachment naming rights.

“If we were able to land an attachment name, it would be a significant boon at this point,” Guerrero said, adding that there are “a couple viable opportunities but nothing imminent at this point.”

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