DEC Contracting to complete three athletic facility projects at Ave Maria University

DEC Contracting Group is completing work on three athletic facilities to enhance student-athlete performance and recreational opportunities at Ave Maria University.

The largest project involves demolishing Tom Golisano Field House, a 40,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building with a stucco exterior, down to its structural steel. It will be rebuilt with new roofing, HVAC, electrical and plumbing fixtures, and DEC Contracting will add locker rooms, a new playing surface and staff offices. The Field House is home to Ave Maria’s men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the sports medicine and strength and conditioning programs.

Across the street and adjacent to Gyrene Field, DEC Contracting is constructing the 5,440-square-foot pre-engineered Quonset Locker Facility, a military hangar-inspired structure that will include locker rooms, restrooms and showers for Ave Maria’s outdoor sports programs.

The third project is Judi’s Gym, a pre-engineered, 12,320-square-foot outdoor recreational pavilion that includes three covered basketball courts, which also will be lined for volleyball and pickleball. It will include electricity to provide lighting for evening activities and 83 parking spaces. The facility will be used for recreational sports and will be available for Ave Maria students and local residents.

“Ave Maria moved from Michigan to Florida in 2007, and it quickly established a reputation for its solid academic programs and variety of intercollegiate sports,” said DEC Contracting CEO Regina Dunn. “The university’s investment in these facilities is an investment in the student-athletes that represent the institution, and once completed, Ave Maria’s athletic facilities will rival the top institutions in the Sun Conference.”

“After 15 years of steady growth, Ave Maria University is entering the next phase in its development and it’s exciting to have a role in building a campus for the future,” added DEC Contracting President Douglas Masch II. “The university has gone from a blank canvas in an old tomato field to a thriving campus that draws students from across the country, and we hope to create showcase facilities with a ‘wow factor.’”

Construction is underway on all three projects, which will be completed in phases from this fall through next spring.

About DEC Contracting Group

Founded in 2014, DEC Contracting Group is a Fort Myers-based commercial construction contractor offering design-build, general contracting and construction management services. The firm’s extensive project portfolio includes retail centers, office buildings, corporate headquarters, nonprofit and government facilities, historic properties, religious buildings and more. DEC Contracting’s areas of specialization include new construction, buildouts, additions and renovations, as well as green building and LEED construction. For additional information, please visit DECcontracting.com or call 239-332-4322.