Drury board approves O'Reilly Family Event Center

Drury University's Board of Trustees has approved construction of the $13.5 million O'Reilly Family Event Center, the school said today.

The arena will be located adjacent to Weiser Gymnasium and is funded by Drury and its donors, including a $6 million pledge from the O'Reilly family and a $1 million challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation that the school has met. The center was initially scheduled to open in fall 2009, but fundraising and determining construction costs were hampered by the economy, officials have said. The school continues to raise funds for the project, according to Drury Director of Media Relations Mark Miller.

Construction will begin as soon as possible, according to a news release, with a goal of opening in fall 2010. A groundbreaking ceremony is slated for mid-May.

Springfield-based Killian Construction is the contractor for the project, which is designed by H Design.

The 3,100-seat arena will have the ability to expand by another 500 seats and will be built at minimum silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications.

The center will host major Drury and community events and will be the home of the Panther and Lady Panther basketball and volleyball teams.

Drury also has developed a 20-year agreement with CoxHealth for the health system to provide sports medicine services to Drury athletes, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]