Sports center addition boosted by state UWGB fans were asked to squeeze together, clearing some end-row seats prior to the start of the women's game against Loyola on Saturday which set a attendance record of 1,850 (photo by Tina Gohr). Joint Finance Committee votes to fund one quarter of a Phoenix Sports Center addition By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle The sight of fans walking away from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball games without tickets could be a thing of the past as the required pieces of funding for a revamped, 4,000-seat Phoenix Sports Center come together. The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee voted to fund one-quarter of the cost - estimated to be about $7.5 million - of an addition to the Phoenix Sports Center in the 2005-07 budget. The funding should be available in 2005. Half of the funding for the addition, or $15 million, is being paid by students through an annual $400 fee they agreed to pay three years ago, said UWGB Chancellor Bruce Shepard. The state's share is one-quarter and the last quarter will be solicited through private donations. "It's been our students' highest priority," Shepard said. "It'll more than double the size of the Sports Center." The addition will expand the main arena to 4,000 seats to house more fans for women's basketball and volleyball games, as well as concerts and social events. Better exercise equipment and a larger weight room for the university and the community is included in the design. "Students today really expect (better facilities)," Shepard said. "It's worse than any high school you'll see." The motion passed the committee with a 9-7 bipartisan vote. State Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, said he worked to convince his colleagues on the value of the project. Hansen said it was easier to convince others to vote for the project because 75 percent of the funding is coming from the community. "I think it's done in such a way ... that it makes so much sense," he said. "I think it's a quick sell." Hansen said he had to explain to representatives from around the state the regional nature of the school and the school's need for the addition. The addition is not meant to compete with existing venues in the area for concerts or shows, he said. "It's not meant to be in competition with the Resch Center," he said. "This is about a community and a regional school." The Phoenix men's basketball team is contracted to play at the Resch Center through 2010, so the updated facility would not affect those games. The 4,000-seat arena would allow more fans to watch the women's games, many of which sold out last season as the team advanced to the NCAA women's basketball tournament and its first Top 25 ranking. With a seating capacity of just 1,850, the Sports Center is the smallest facility in the nine-school Horizon League and one of the smallest in all of Division I sports. Hansen and Shepard said the addition is the next step for the school and should serve its students well. "I think it's a key piece for the future of the school. It's the next big step," said Hansen.