GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Proposed renovations to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center originally scheduled to start in March have been postponed for one year, the University of Florida and the University Athletic Association announced Wednesday.

An aggressive schedule, escalating costs associated with the rehabilitation project and a change in the construction management team contributed to the decision. Current cost estimates for the project are approximately $60 million.

“The renovation proposal is a major renewal of one of our campus’s most iconic buildings. It’s incumbent on us to take the time and do it right,” UF President Kent Fuchs said.

The delay allows for the completion of the construction management team’s design plans, which currently are about 60 percent complete. A new construction manager has been brought in, and a construction schedule and budget should be forthcoming in the next couple of months.