Fresno State Athletics
Fun-Filled Save Mart Center Groundbreaking Planned for Tuesday
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May 2, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - One of Fresno's famous longtime residents -- the Bulldog mascot, Timeout -- will lead Fresno State fans in breaking ground for his new "Doghouse" and Fresno's next major landmark: the Save Mart Center.
The public is invited to attend the celebration on Tuesday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m. at the site of the Bulldogs' future home on Shaw Avenue between Woodrow and Chestnut, just west of the new State Route 168 interchange. Free parking will be available and there is no charge for admission to the event.
California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed and members of the CSU Board of Trustees will join Fresno State President John D. Welty and Fresno Mayor Alan Autry along with a host of legislators, local officials, faculty, staff and students for the ceremonial first step in construction of what will be among the first major landmarks of the new millennium in the Valley.
Former Fresno newscaster John Wallace will serve as master of ceremonies for a celebration that won't be your ordinary shovel-in-the-dirt groundbreaking, said Mark Aydelotte, assistant vice president of University Relations.
"This will be Central California's premier sports and entertainment venue and we are planning a big event that will allow the community to participate in the start of this project," Aydelotte said.
"The Save Mart Center will be the Valley's calling card," he added. "It will be a world-class venue for sports events, top-name family entertainment, cultural events and new educational ventures."
He said a specially trained Timeout will play a major role in helping stake the foundation of his new Doghouse. Organizers plan several other surprises at the event.
Arakel Arisian, president of the Associated Students, Inc. at Fresno State, will lead a parade of students from the Smittcamp Alumni House to the event, which will feature a special stage. The students will claim their territory in establishing the Dog Pound, which will include 2,000 seats as part of the Legacy 2000 referendum they approved last fall for a student recreational center that will be part of the Save Mart Center's West Complex.
Bleachers will be erected to provide seating at the groundbreaking site. Parking accommodations will be available in Lots C and V at the Smittcamp Alumni House, which is within walking distance of the groundbreaking site on the southeast side of the campus. (Parking is not allowed along Shaw Avenue). The Bulldog trolley will run between the parking lots and the site for those in need of assistance.
The university gained final approval for the Save Mart Center from the California State University Board of Trustees in March.
Construction of the Save Mart Center, which will serve as the home to the Fresno State Bulldogs and the vaunted Red Wave, will begin in earnest soon after the groundbreaking and is expected to be completed in 2003.
The adjacent West Complex will follow soon thereafter and include the new Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the high-tech Leon and Pete Peters Educational Research Center, athletic administrative offices and the student recreation center, among many other features.