The LSU Athletic Department is delaying its groundbreaking plan for the new Tiger Athletic Nutrition Center, the school announced in a news release Tuesday.
The center was set to serve as a fuel stop for about 400 University athletes. Full-time chefs and nutritionists will be housed at the facility, according to the Tiger Athletic Foundation website.
The Daily Reveille previously reported the Nutrition Center was originally set to be completed in April 2016.
The Athletic Department was scheduled to begin breaking ground this spring, LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva said in the release. Alleva said all of the money for the facility has already been raised from private donations, but the “current climate of austerity” at the University led to the decision to delay the groundbreaking.
“The Tiger Athletic Nutrition Center will become a reality, but we will wait until we can gauge how the budget cuts will affect LSU before starting the project,” Alleva said.
In 2012, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved $5.5 million in donations from the Athletic Department to help offset budget cuts.
The Daily Reveille reported in September 2012 that the Board also approved $36 million in Athletic Department donations over five years from 2012-17.