A look at the land across from The Fieldhouse off Delaware Street where the Pacers want to build an additional facility.
UPDATE: 3:54 p.m.: The Capital Improvement Board unanimously approved the Pacers proposal, a Pacers spokesman told VigilantSports.com. A news conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m on Wednesday.
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The Pacers have outgrown their current setup.
Looking to add more space for additional courts, physical therapy, and offices, Pacers officials will present their pitch to Indianapolis’ Capital Improvement Board (CIB), which was created in 1965 to finance and manage capital improvements in the city, at 3 p.m. ET on Monday.
The proposal is for a five-story building that would cost an estimated $50 million to build.
Should the proposal pass — and they are hopeful that it does — the cost of construction would be entirely paid for by the team via private funds. The team would also be responsible for the operating costs.
The land, which is owned by the CIB, that they are proposing to use is already being occupied by Pacers Sports & Entertainment as an elevated parking lot for employees. The lot is regularly filled to capacity and isn’t large enough for staff on game nights.
No one from the Pacers is commenting on the record about the presentation or their goals for the new facility. An email to a CIB spokesman was not immediately returned.
But what I can tell you is that the basketball side of Pacers Sports & Entertainment is wanting an area to themselves where they believe they can work more efficiently. When they bring prospects in for evaluation, they wouldn’t have to coordinate with facilities, including the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, to see when the practice court, which is on the northeast corner of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, is available. Same goes for when Pacers players want to workout — in and out of season.
The basketball offices are also full. One group of offices on the First Financial Bank Level includes President Larry Bird, GM Kevin Pritchard, VP Peter Dinwiddie, Consultant Donnie Walsh and a couple of secretaries. You have to go down the hall for everyone else, including administration, analytics, scouts, and player relations.
This also allows for the team to have a much larger, state-of-the-art weight room. They’ll have room for new physical therapy equipment, and give the team’s massage therapist a room to work out of, for example. (His “area” is currently behind a divider in the press conference room.) All of this is planned to be right by the courts enabling a more efficient work environment.
The Pacers medical staff is highly regarded around the league as they not only treat players but also place a tremendous emphasis on preventative treatment.
In part, it’s also needed to keep up with teams throughout the league — and the college programs players come from. The Bulls, for example, opened a new practice site almost a year ago.
This plot of land is convienent with it being adjacent to The Fieldhouse. An underground tunnel could then be built from a hallway near the practice court to the new practice facility that the organization is proposing.
The Pacers’ locker room is currently undergoing its first major renovation since Bankers Life Fieldhouses opened in 1999. Upgrades to the Fever locker room were made in the spring, as were improvements throughout the beautiful facility.
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