USM approves additional funds for Towson University athletics renovations
By Zach Daly, Contributing Writer
The University System of Maryland approved an expansion of funds for the upcoming Towson Center and Field House renovations. The project will see an additional $10 million in funding with USM bonds, bringing the project’s total to $35 million.
The increase comes as the scope of the project has proven more complex than initially believed. Towson President Mark Ginsberg said in the early December that meeting the project had grown since the first budget of $25 million was approved.
With the additional $10 million, $200,000 will go towards the design, $6.8 million will go to construction cost, $648,000 towards equipment, and $2.35 million towards contingency according to a USM document.
“The project does not contemplate any addition to the scope of work in terms of size or what the project is, but the scope has increased because the complexity has increased,” Ginsberg said.
The additional money was needed to support structural reinforcements, along with required updates to mechanical, electrical and plumbing services.
Additionally, the school announced that the Field House and Towson Center projects, which were previously viewed separately, would be consolidated to reduce disruption and improve efficiency. The project is still set to begin during Spring 2026.
The updates will undertake upgrades to its two athletic training facilities that will create a new sports performance center with a nutritional support area, address shortages in office and team meeting spaces, and add a dedicated medical services suite to enhance the care available to student athletes.
During the meeting, Ginsberg emphasized the importance of the project to help modernize sports medicine facilities and wellness services for student athletes. He said the project will also help athletes academically, with a planned academic center to help athletes in the classroom.
“I’m very proud of our athletes, which are first and foremost our students. So the academic involvement in their experience to me is even more important than is their performance on the court or field,” Ginsberg said. “Having an enhanced and refreshed center for academic performance excellence has been in vision for a number of years and has come to fruition with the project.”
Cost numbers are still being calculated and the design process of the project is still only about 25% done, according to Jody Latimer, director of Design and Construction at University of Maryland, Baltimore. Another cost estimate will be done in mid-February.
The project is still hoped to be finished by the end of 2026 according to Ginsberg.
The Towerlight previously reported the athletics complex would undergo $40 million in renovations, as reported in a Towson press release. The above described $35 million renovations is the most up-to-date cost number.