UConn Trustees OK Plan To Replace Gampel Pavilion Court

STORRS, CT — The floor at the University of Connecticut's Gampel Pavilion has a lot of history on it with 11 women's and four men's national basketball championships, but it is aging and needs to be replaced, school officials said.

The UConn Board of Trustees took care of its future Wednesday by approving a $688,480 budget to have it replaced. The funds are already in the Athletic Department budget, officials said.

The trustees also agreed to waive the typical "three- stage budget approval process" to allow construction to proceed after bids have been received and evaluated.

A timetable for the project would be announced after bids have been received, officials said.

Gampel Pavilion opened in 1990 and still features its original wood court.

Because of its age and "current thickness," the floor can no longer be sanded as part of scheduled maintenance and is "beyond its useful life," officials said. Having been sanded and repaired as part of regular maintenance over the past 30-plus years, additional sanding could create risk of exposing the subfloor nails, according to project documents.

Gampel not only hosts the UConn basketball programs, but also several university-wide events like commencement, convocation, open houses and career fairs.

This project will include the removal of the existing wood flooring, inspection and repair of the subfloor, installation of a new maple floor system, sanding, finishing and final painting.

University officials are discussing ways to preserve pieces of the flooring.