Now called the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, the150,000-sf facility will break ground in spring 2008 and isscheduled for completion in early 2011. It will be constructed on a6.5-acre portion of a 33-acre parcel along Wayne Avenue, contiguouswith the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus.

The Pennsylvania General Services Administration acquired theland, formerly owned by the Kovalchick Salvage Co., for $10million. Half of the price tag was paid by the commonwealth undercurrent Gov. Ed Rendell, and the rest from a combination ofsources, including the Indiana county commissioners and countydevelopment corporation, Indiana Borough and White Township.

While the university will own and manage KCAC, it is designed toserve the entire region and host sporting events, trade shows andother activities. A university spokesman tells GlobeSt.com it willcontain a 4,000- to 6,000-seat arena and a separate 600-seatauditorium along with conferencing facilities and administrativeoffices for the university's athletic department and its John P.Murtha Institute for Homeland Security.