Ball State officials announced Friday that permanent lights will be installed at Ball State Stadium in time for the 2004 football season.
Athletics director Bubba Cunningham said that officials had talked about the project for a year and half, and the final approval to accept bids came last week from Interim President Beverly Pitts and Vice President of Business Affairs Tom Kinghorn.
Cunningham has estimated that field lighting could cost $250,000 to $300,000, but emphasized that there are other costs involved, such as auxiliary lighting in parking lots and underneath the stands. The actual price tag will not be affirmed until a contractor's bid has been awarded. Cunningham said the deadline for submitting bids is May 18, and that it would take the facilities department a week to 10 days to award the bid.
"In my experience that's been the cost for field lighting," Cunningham said. "But there's different level's of lighting."
No matter the cost, the lights are being financed completely by private donations, including $100,000 from Dar and Dot Wiekamp. The couple had also financed the temporary lighting for the 2003 home opener, when a stadium-record crowd of 23,549 witnessed the first night game in stadium history.
In 2003 the Cardinal Varsity Club began pledging $50,000 a year for 10 years towards stadium project. Jerry Peirson, director of athletic development, emphasized that when people pledge money to the CVC, the donors designate where they want the pledge to go.
"People put their gifts where ever they want to put it," Peirson said. "A lot of it was designated to go toward the stadium. In some cases people made pledges that they said they want the money to go toward the lights.
"The light project is part of the overall package to raise money for the stadium. It just happens that the pieces came together (from total donations) to have (lighting)."
Cunningham says that having lights will allow athletics to schedule some football games at more convenient times for both students and fans from the community.
Ball State's season opener, a home date with Boston College, had already been moved to Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. The Sept. 25 matchup with Western Michigan has also been moved to a 7 p.m. start.
The Homecoming game with Eastern Michigan is still slated for 2 p.m., but the times for the final two home games -- against Northern Illinois and Central Florida -- have yet to be announced.
"I think it'll be a great experience for students and fans," Cunningham said. "There seems to be more a sense of the big-time with lights, and having lights gives us the ability to have a (night) game on television.
"In the Muncie community, fans have more flexible time in evening. I think students have indicated that Big Ten game of week is important and that the 1 p.m. start isn't as convenient for them. It's no secret that night-time activities are more attractive (to them)."
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