Now called the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, the 150,000-sf facility will break ground in spring 2008 and is scheduled for completion in early 2011. It will be constructed on a 6.5-acre portion of a 33-acre parcel along Wayne Avenue, contiguous with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus.

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

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