Arena To Rise In Maryland

Towson University in Maryland has dropped a plan to renovate its 32-year-old Towson Center in favor of building a 5,000-capacity, $45.4 million, multipurpose arena.

The original plan was to invest $30 million into upgrading the Towson Center but it turned out to be less cost effective than starting from scratch, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The proposed arena’s features will include an electronic scoreboard, state-of-the-art video screens, entertainment suites and expanded lobbies.

Financing for the project would come from a combination of university funds and auxiliary bonds.

If approved, the project could break ground by July 2009 with a goal to open in 2011, the paper said.