Alabama athletic facilities getting makeover

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - Alabama&#39;s athletic department is in a state of upheaval this summer, but it&#39;s because of construction, not sudden coaching changes. <br> <br> The parking lot outside the football complex is crowded with gravel and heavy machinery, and staffers lost Internet access for several days because a fiber-optic cable had been cut. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s causing some difficulties in the short term,&#39;&#39; Crimson Tide athletic director Mal Moore said. ``We&#39;ve had to move some offices and so forth. But it is a matter of a little inconvenience now in exchange for a huge benefit when it all is done.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The athletic department is in the early stages of a planned $100 million in improvements that include a new weight room, upgrading Coleman Coliseum, new tennis and soccer complexes and a 10,000-seat expansion of Bryant-Denny Stadium. <br> <br> Moore said upgrading the facilities was one of his top priorities when he became athletic director in 1999. <br> <br> ``It was clearly something we needed,&#39;&#39; he told The Tuscaloosa News in a story Sunday. ``It wasn&#39;t just a case of building something unnecessary because someone else had it. In a lot of areas, we were standing still. There were a number of reasons for that, but we needed to get moving again.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Crimson Tradition fund-raising campaign has not yet reached its goal of $50 million but is ``getting close,&#39;&#39; Moore said. <br> <br> The remaining $50 million, to be raised through the issuance of bonds, will be spent mostly on the Bryant-Denny expansion estimated to cost $43.3 million and tentatively set to begin in late 2004. <br> <br> The annex is expected to be completed in December. It will include new offices for the head football coach and the director of operations and will increase the staff&#39;s ability to control access to the locker room, meeting room and weight room facilities. <br> <br> The 35-year-old Coleman Coliseum also is due for a makeover. <br> <br> ``There has not been a great deal done since the coliseum was built as far as making it more fan-friendly,&#39;&#39; Moore said. ``We need to expand the concession areas, replace some of the seats, modernize the restrooms. We intend to do all those things. <br> <br> ``It is still a good facility, but we need to upgrade those areas.&#39;&#39;

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