This podcast contains comments from Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork during the February 16, 2022 meeting of the A&M system board of regents committee on buildings and physical plant.

The Texas A&M system board of regents approves increasing the cost of the A&M athletics Bright area development project from $205 to $235 million dollars.

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Athletic director Ross Bjork provided details during a meeting of the regents committee on buildings and physical plant.

Bjork said reasons for the cost increase included connecting the indoor track to the Bright building, which will make what was a 100 yard field, 140 yards in length.

Another reason was moving the nutrition center from the current Bright Center into the academic center.

Bjork says the construction schedule would cancel only one indoor track season if all goes right. Construction of a new indoor football facility and indoor track starts in June by demolishing the current indoor track.

Construction of new Kyle Field suites would start after the last home football game in 2022. Bjork said demolition of the current indoor track, which is the site of the new academic center, would start after the football team's last practice for next season's bowl game.

Bjork says the new indoor football facility will open in August 2023, the Bright building renovation in August 2023, the new indoor track in the fall of 2023, the new academic center in the summer of 2024, and a plaza around the academic center and Bright complex would be completed in 2024.

Bjork says details about fundraising will be announced in April. But he said lead gifts have been made to the entire complex and for the academic center.