The UNA board of trustees approved funding for the construction of a new workout facility for athletes March 11. The facility will cost the university $440,000.

The building will be approximately 5,000 square feet. The current weight room is 1,500 square feet, said Director of Athletics Mark Linder.

“It is overdue,” said Trustee Marty Abroms. “I really think we have a lot of deferred need to bring our facility up to the level of our competition.”

Of the $440,000, the Department of Athletics has raised $290,000 in in-kind contributions. The university will fund the remaining $150,000, which the athletics department will repay over a five-year period, said UNA President Bill Cale.

Look for a full story on the board of trustees meeting in this week’s issue of The Flor-Ala.