The UNM Board of Regents on Friday approved the next phase of renovations at Lobo Field: a clubhouse for the baseball team.
By a unanimous decision the regents voted for the design, construction and lease for the R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard Baseball Clubhouse.
According to a memo provided to the regents, the 5,764-square-foot clubhouse will feature a locker room, players’ lounge, training and hydrotherapy rooms, restroom facilities and showers, coaches’ offices and stairs leading to a second-floor deck.
The construction of the clubhouse is the latest in a series of renovations already made to Lobo Field. Earlier upgrades included turf and drainage updates to the field, improved dugouts and lighting, restrooms and a fan entrance.
After the regents’ vote, UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs called the clubhouse a much-needed step for the baseball program and its facilities moving forward.
“We’ve made a number of improvements, additions in the last couple of years,” Krebs said, “and the completion of a clubhouse gives us the amenities that our student-athletes really need to compete at the highest level: locker room, training facility, coaches’ offices, all of which were either nonexistent or in permanent stages right now.”
The new clubhouse will be a game-changing component to the baseball program, head coach Ray Birmingham said. It will be the first time the Lobos will have a locker room to call their own.
“And it’s emotional for me for many reasons, primarily because it’s one more step in building a facility for New Mexico and, second, because so many people from New Mexico, private citizens, chipped in on this deal,” Birmingham said. “It’s a total New Mexico effort about caring about the kids.”
To pay for the $2.16 million clubhouse, the regents approved a 10-year ground lease to the Lobo Development Corporation (LDC) for the land located on the south side of the current baseball and softball fields, the memo states.
LDC will have a sub-lease with Mexico Nuevo Contractador LLC, which will develop the clubhouse. From there, LDC will lease the property from MNC for the 10-year period.
Several donations have already been given to UNM to help lower the costs for the clubhouse. According to the memo, MNC secured $202,280 in pledges from sub-contractors. Scott Grady, owner of Raylee Homes, and Mark Cordova, founder of Cordova Contracting and Development, are the principals of MNC.
“Grady will act as the general contractor and will be responsible for all of the work, delivering the improvements to us with full warranties and insurance and indemnification,” said Tom Neale, UNM real estate director and LDC financial transaction director. “But he’s asking his subcontractors — many of whom are big supporters of the University — to help lower their costs by donating materials and whatnot,” he said.
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The Athletics Department also received $815,000 in donations for the clubhouse, including a $500,000 gift in 2013 from the Hubbards. R.D. Hubbard owns the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino, along with other holdings.
That leaves $1.14 million for construction. The UNM Foundations will loan LDC up to $1 million at a 3.25 prime interest rate, according to the memo, and the Athletics Department will ensure construction will not exceed that amount. In the case that additional donations do not cover the remaining costs, UNM will request a reduction in the scope of the facility, the memo states.
During the meeting, Board President Jack Fortner asked Krebs about whether the clubhouse will improve UNM’s chances for hosting regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Krebs said that depends on how successful the Lobos will be in a particular season. The higher seed in the NCAA tournament serves as the host site for games, and the College World Series takes place in Omaha, Nebraska every year.
Lobo Field, however, will host the Mountain West championships this year. It serves as a site for the New Mexico Activities Association’s high school state championships as well.
J.R. Oppenheim is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
