Groundbreaking for the construction of the $51 million Idaho Central Credit Union Arena will take place Thursday, following a State Board approved budget increase.
The 4,200 capacity facility is scheduled to open in 2021 and will serve as a home court for Vandal basketball programs as well as campus and community events.
“ICCU Arena is a showcase for who we are and what we do as a land-grant research university,” University of Idaho President Chuck Staben said in a press release Monday. “This facility will be a game-changer for student-athletes, for our fans, and for our community. We are so grateful to ICCU, to our students, to our industry partners, and to all the donors and supporters who have stepped up to make this dream a reality.”
Planning for the ICCU arena structure has brought in wood industry partners from across the state to consult on the engineered wood and mass timber facility.
UI will hold a ceremony for the ground breaking of the ICCU Arena with U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, forest industry members, ICCU CEO Ken Oram and Staben in attendance.
The ceremony will take place 11 a.m. at the northeast corner of the ASUI Kibbie Activity Center.
Ellamae Burnell can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @EllamaeBurnell