Groundbreaking for the Save Mart Center at California State University, Fresno will be held Tuesday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m., officials announced today.
After gaining final approval from the California State University Board of Trustees last month, the university has launched the planning for the ceremonial first step in construction of the Save Mart Center, Central California’s premier sports and entertainment venue, said Mark Aydelotte, assistant vice president of University Relations.
Details of the groundbreaking will be released at a later date, but the milestone event will be open to the public and will involve local and state officials who will join students and university officials, Aydelotte said.
A campus committee is planning the celebration that will be held at the site, located on Shaw Avenue between Woodrow and Chestnut, just west of the new State Route 168 interchange
Construction of the Save Mart Center is expected to be completed in 2003. Turner Construction Company, the nation’s largest builder, was selected in February as the construction manager/general contractor.
The Save Mart Center and the adjoining West Complex will provide a major boost to the cultural and economic vitality of the Valley, Aydelotte said.
Construction of the Save Mart Center which will serve as the home to the Fresno State Bulldogs and the vaunted Red Wave, will begin this summer.
The adjacent West Complex will follow soon thereafter and include the new Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the high-tech Leon S. and Pete Peters Educational Research Center and a student recreation center, among many other features.
