Rupp Arena renovations have gone way over budget

Rupp Arena is one of the most storied venues in all of college basketball. And over the last several years, there have been a series of scheduled upgrades aimed at bringing the arena into the 21st century.

However, it seems the current phase has cost more than expected.

One of the first projects was putting backs on the seats in certain sections of the upper deck. That was a game-changer, in my opinion. The current phase includes four new clubhouse suites for the most affluent of Kentucky Wildcats basketball fans.

As part of the university of Kentucky’s 15 year agreement with Rupp Arena signed in 2018, the Lexington Center agreed to spend $12 million in construction of those clubhouses. But during a board meeting for the Lexington Center held on Thursday, documents showed that $16,849,259 has already been spent on the project, according to Beth Musgrave of the Herald-Leader,

Kentucky’s use of Rupp Arena is supposed to bring in close to $100 million over the next 15 years, so over the long run the extra $4.8 does not look like a major hit. But for a project to go over budget by over 40% certainly seems unusual and, while I am no Dave Ramsey, a bit irresponsible.

It is unclear how close the clubhouses are to being completely finished. In theory, that number could still rise a considerable amount. For those of you that are going to experience these clubhouses first-hand, it sounds like you are in for a major treat. At least, you’d better be for the price tag.