Exterior Design Plans Revealed for High Altitude Performance Center

Digital renderings and floor plans for the University of Wyoming's Rochelle Athletics Center/Mick and Susie McMurry High Altitude Performance Center were revealed during a community meeting in the Wildcatter Club and Suites Tuesday evening.

The UW Board of Trustees will vote on whether to adopt the plans at an upcoming meeting.

Stephen Pappas of Pappas & Pappas Architects, P.C. presented the plans and gave those in attendance an overview of where the project stands now and what the building would look like if completed under the current design.

Changes to existing features were the focus of questions from the audience.

The video board and arch would be removed to make way for the new facility.  The expansion would come out to roughly 50 feet from the north end zone, or to about the north side of the arch in its current position.

Plans call for a brand new video board and sound system to be placed on the south end of War Memorial Stadium.

In addition, the current veterans' memorials near the north end zone would be moved to the space between Gate 6 and the Indoor Practice Facility.

Pappas said many of the spruce trees currently standing between the RAC and the north end zone would be removed.

The entire project has a budget of $44 million.  The current design puts the project about $2.2 million over budget, but Pappas said alterations to the design could bring the cost back down to where it needs to be.

Construction is set to begin this summer, and Pappas said the football program would be able to occupy the new space in July 2017.  He said he expects the project to be finished by the end of 2017.