“Nobody asked about this!” Penn State coach James Franklin said as he walked away from his post practice media scrum, pointing at the Lasch Building renovations rising from the ground.
From Franklin, the expanded weight room facility – a project with an approved budget of $48 million – is the most tangible result of his long quest for upgrades across the program and athletic department both philosophical and physical. The Lasch Building has seen various upgrades inside its walls from the player’s lounge to various rooms and facilities within the building, but those are generally less visible to the outside world.
The ongoing renovations have resulted in Penn State football moving its weight room area to Holuba Hall for the spring and summer and construction continues.
You can read more about the project’s approval here. Penn State’s full Board of Trustees approved the final plans and expenditure of funds by a 27-6 vote on Friday, Feb. 19.
At the time of the announcement according to outgoing Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour, roughly $8 million in funds had been raised through philanthropy while the rest was being funded by taxable and tax-free debt servicing in order to avoid further delays or increased costs. The project was slated to begin in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous renovations had been entirely funded by philanthropy.
