Southern Miss renderings, timeline for Reed Green Coliseum $35 million renovation plans

HATTIESBURG — Longtime dreams to renovate Reed Green Coliseum are turning into a reality.

Southern Miss athletics unveiled renderings and project plans on Wednesday to renovate the 59-year-old home to men’s and women’s basketball. The project includes new entrances, a practice facility, scoreboards and more. It’s expected to cost $35 million and be completed in 2027.

“You saw the term ‘turning legacy into a vision,’ ” athletics director Jeremy McClain said. “That’s kind of how we feel about this. It’s about taking this building and really building upon what it is and what it means to people in this community.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the renovations.

What's included in the Reed Green Coliseum renovations

One of the biggest components of the renovations is not having to expand the footprint of Reed Green Coliseum; all of the additions and improvements will be made on the existing land without affecting M K Turk Circle.

Construction is expected to begin in early 2025. There will be no phases.

“It’s a start-to-finish project,” McClain said. “We may have to sequence it in a way that’s the least intrusive.”

The $35 million budget will cover a new main entrance on the north side of the building, a new south entrance, a practice facility and new weight room. In the arena bowl, there will be two new scoreboards in the corners (McClain said a center-hung scoreboard can’t be supported by the roof), ribbon boards, 200 loge-style seats at the top of the bowl, restructured seating closer to the court and upgraded restrooms, concessions and ADA compatibility.

“For me, I said multiple times that I want a ‘wow’ factor,” McClain said of the north entrance. “I want people to drive by on 4th street and stop at the redlight and kind of turn their heads to want to see this building.”

McClain also said the concourse will be expanded by taking out seats from the bowl. The stadium capacity will shrink from 8,095 to 6,800.

The separate roof renovation project will begin later in May, McClain said.

How Southern Miss will pay for the renovations

Southern Miss was approved for a $35 million bond in November that will fund most of the project.

The Hattiesburg “Your Penny at Work Tax” — a 1% tax on transactions at restaurants, hotels and motels that was approved in 2019 — will help pay the debt service. Southern Miss receives half of that 1% tax.

However, Southern Miss gets those payments in monthly increments, explaining why time was needed to gain the funding.

Hattiesburg mayor Toby Barker told reporters that Southern Miss receives about $150,000 per month from the tax.

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What the renovations mean for Southern Miss athletics

Gearing for wins on the basketball court is an obvious benefit of new facilities, but it’s not the only reason for excitement.

“It’s absolutely vital to the University of Southern Mississippi in terms of our growth,” school president Joseph S. Paul said. “Athletics is your front porch; it’s what invites people in. It’s what welcomes alums back home. So, it becomes a catalyst for student enrollment growth, private giving and for national profile. It’s invaluable.”

Renovations to Reed Green Coliseum will also allow for special events that aren’t compatible with the current layout of the arena. Southern Miss will be able to host concerts, for example, that can open other revenue streams.

A concert hasn’t been held at Reed Green Coliseum in 13 years, according to concertarchives.org .

“This will be Hattiesburg's arena,” Barker said, “and I think the public should see it that way.”

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss renderings, timeline for Reed Green Coliseum $35 million renovation plans