Dome Update

[PauliePeppas]

Not having all the seats/bleachers orange always annoyed me

 

[FrancoPizza]

Colossal waste of money for, what, 2 or 3 games a year? Is that worth an extra $200M in expense?

Matt, reading comprehension buddy. Its $25M for a retractable roof. $200M is the cost for a hard shell. If they're going to continue with an air supported roof then might as well put all Reno costs on hold until they're ready to swing big. Go big-time or go home.

 

[FrancoPizza]

If the State of NY would help with the cost we should get the most modern stadium we can get. If SU is having to foot the bill dominantly then we can just expect renovations that would modernize and give the Dome a facelift.

I don't know the politics of CNY but I would guess Albany isn't inclined to help a private school in Syracuse with taxpayer money without assurances that the facility would help the general public.

I hope someone with clout is making a pitch for this in the $500M upstate sweepstakes. It has the potential to transform the region and surrounding community. We just need a gag order on city hall.

 

[pfister1]

Maybe so, but it's just another thing that will eventually break and be very expensive to repair. Remember, they did a retractable roof in Montreal for the 1976 Olympics (might have been completed later, I don't recall). That stadium was later used by the Expos for baseball, and they experienced non-stop problems with the roof (some dangerous), until they moved the franchise to Washington.

Not that it won't be expensive to maintain, I have no idea. But why compare to a stadium that was engineered and built in the early 70s...that is 40 years ago? Even SkyDome which opened in the late 80's would be a pretty dated point of comparison. Interestingly enough I just saw something that said that the Blue Jays were looking to make about $250 million in renovations to bring it up to date. These are expensive toys. If SU gets a state funded Dome with a retractable roof, shouldn't UB get one too? It could probably have a game changing impact for their programs, that I'm not sure it would have for ours.

 

[Bayside44]

I am just guessing, but I think that the attraction of a retractable roof has to do with the pleasantness of a beautiful Fall day in CNY. But I also think that those calling for this weren't around to enjoy the weather in Archbold.

I can't tell you how many times the game started off in sunshine. But off in the distance over the valley south of Syracuse rain clouds floated around. Sooner or later one or more of these would pass over Archbold giving everyone a nice wetting down. Then the wind would pick up a bit and cool things down.

If they ever add a retractable roof or build a stadium with one, it better be one that closes in a hurry. I've been in Houston when they closed the roof. It takes a while. Long enough for one of those rain clouds to get everyone good and wet.

I love the Dome because I have experienced days in Archbold where my butt cheeks were pretty much frozen solid.

The Dome - like the inside of a house - isn't built to drain.

 

[gmoney44]

Slap a new roof on and upgrade the 1893 Chicago world fair audio & lighting system and be done with it. The problem isn't the Dome it's the Mickey Mouse and friends running SU athletics.

 

[Millhouse]

I'm not an architect or an engineer, but I have some familiarity with design and construction.

The Dome was designed with a fabric roof. The walls were designed to bear that weight plus a margin of safety.

A retractable roof would add a great deal of weight to the roof and at a minimum require the buttressing of the current walls. (Picture a Gothic cathedral with its buttresses.)

It would be a very expensive effort. And for what? Fresh air at a few September games?

Adding a retractable roof to the current structure is close to a non-starter. Lots of money for not much real benefit.

and teams that do have retractable roofs hardly ever open them. no one wants to be the guy that caused fans to get soaked, so it stays closed if there's any chance at all of rain

 

[FrancoPizza]

If SU gets a state funded Dome with a retractable roof, shouldn't UB get one too? It could probably have a game changing impact for their programs, that I'm not sure it would have for ours.

Buffalo can go themselves. They've already received a billion dollars.

 

[Shark58]

collect underpants
new roof- paint it orange
profit

 

[GoSU96]

Not that it won't be expensive to maintain, I have no idea. But why compare to a stadium that was engineered and built in the early 70s...that is 40 years ago? Even SkyDome which opened in the late 80's would be a pretty dated point of comparison. Interestingly enough I just saw something that said that the Blue Jays were looking to make about $250 million in renovations to bring it up to date. These are expensive toys. If SU gets a state funded Dome with a retractable roof, shouldn't UB get one too? It could probably have a game changing impact for their programs, that I'm not sure it would have for ours.

It wouldn't be SU getting a new stadium from the state.

There are only two options.

1. Refurb the Dome, new roof, some interior changes to the 200's, all on SU's nickel.

2. Non SU multi-purpose stadium where they would be the anchor tenant. 40K -45K, configurable, retractable roof. Football, lax, soccer, hoops, hockey. Host conference and NCAA tourney's. Get an MLL team, lower division soccer franchises. Concerts, trade shows. Book it 365.

 

[Frozen]

2. Non SU multi-purpose stadium where they would be the anchor tenant. 40K -45K, configurable, retractable roof. Football, lax, soccer, hoops, hockey. Host conference and NCAA tourney's. Get an MLL team, lower division soccer franchises. Concerts, trade shows. Book it 365.

Can we have the WWE Royal Rumble too?

 

[orangefog]

collect underpants
new roof- paint it orange
profit

There is a "Yo mamma" joke in there, but some people get all sensitive about their moms and their mom's underpants.

 

[Orange2389]

Pete Sala kind of gave away what is going to happen with a new stadium. He mentioned on the radio today that a new roof will need to be done pretty soon at the Dome. The way he said it sounds like that's the plan moving forwad. I think we're looking at a renovation and not a new stadium. I'm happy with that.

no chit, did you read the survey?

 

[Full_Rebar]

Can we have the WWE Royal Rumble too?

Sure, but someone else will collect the money from those non-SU events, and SU loses a nice source of revenue. I'd expect Dome renovations along with the continued upgrade of practice facilities, so that the Dome can host more non-SU events and bring more money to the University.

 

[cusefan88]

Retractable roof is pointless and a waste of money, even if it's a few mil more than a hard roof (which it's not).

Money saved from that foolish endeavor would be much more impactful in other places at the Dome.

 

[Townie72]

Colossal waste of money for, what, 2 or 3 games a year? Is that worth an extra $200M in expense?

It's not a collossal waste of money if it's not your money. Or if you somehow believe in Government money is free for the taking.

The NY State money to build the Dome was essentially Government in action. In order to get CNY legislators to vote for some Downstate spending (a.k.a. pork barrel) the Governor offered a similar amount to CNY (Also Pork Barrel) ($15M for the Dome)

The good news about this spending is that much of the money spent did end up as wages for workers that built the Dome.

Of course, with this sort of spending and horse-trading going on, companies were figuring out it would be a whole lot cheaper to relocate to South Carolina than to pay to support all this. Most of the citizenry never makes the connection between the two.

I wouldn't but a Bentley for myself. It's an extravagance. But it you guys would all pool your money and buy me one, it would be great.

 

[cpatrocks]

collect underpants
new roof- paint it orange
profit

 

[FrancoPizza]

It's not a collossal waste of money if it's not your money. Or if you somehow believe in Government money is free for the taking.The NY State money to build the Dome was essentially Government in action. In order to get CNY legislators to vote for some Downstate spending (a.k.a. pork barrel) the Governor offered a similar amount to CNY (Also Pork Barrel) ($15M for the Dome). I wouldn't but a Bentley for myself. It's an extravagance. But it you guys would all pool your money and buy me one, it would be great.

Exactly. If the state can pony up $200M, and you get a couple private investors/AEG onboard, then SU's skin is considerably less.

 

[Bayside44]

Exactly. If the state can pony up $200M, and you get a couple private investors/AEG onboard, then SU's skin is considerably less.

I don't think that is where Townie was going with that one...

 

[Townie72]

I don't think that is where Townie was going with that one...

It's OK, Bayside.

It's like that Obamacare architect said a few weeks ago about their depending upon low knowledge level of the American Public on the fundamentals of Economics.

Another huge joke is how infrastructure spending is going to create employment. Take a look at any highway construction project you might pass this Spring or Summer, This isn't the 1930's when there were lots of guys with shovels. A couple of guys, CAT D-10 and a paving machine is all you need these days to lay miles of road.

 

[llandz]

Yes. I went to a game against WVA --72 I think--it started out sunny, by the end of the first quarter it was raining, freezing rain by halftime, and snowing by the fourth quarter. Those were the days!

I was at that game. I sat through the whole thing. I was like the only person left in the stadium. My purse got so wet, the strap disintegrated and broke off. I will never forget that game. My freshman year. You people are so spoiled with the dome!!

 

[longtimefan]

It's OK, Bayside.

It's like that Obamacare architect said a few weeks ago about their depending upon low knowledge level of the American Public on the fundamentals of Economics.

Another huge joke is how infrastructure spending is going to create employment. Take a look at any highway construction project you might pass this Spring or Summer, This isn't the 1930's when there were lots of guys with shovels. A couple of guys, CAT D-10 and a paving machine is all you need these days to lay miles of road.

Takes quite a few more to repair/replace a bridge, or update a sewer system.

 

[realorange]

It's OK, Bayside.

It's like that Obamacare architect said a few weeks ago about their depending upon low knowledge level of the American Public on the fundamentals of Economics.

Another huge joke is how infrastructure spending is going to create employment. Take a look at any highway construction project you might pass this Spring or Summer, This isn't the 1930's when there were lots of guys with shovels. A couple of guys, CAT D-10 and a paving machine is all you need these days to lay miles of road.

Except in the South where a project that would take 6 months in most of the Northeast can be stretched out to 3 years.

 

[Townie72]

Takes quite a few more to repair/replace a bridge, or update a sewer system.

Even those projects are done mostly with equipment.

Infrastructure as a provider of lots of jobs is yet another myth. Sort of like we are going to provide government paid-for healthcare for another 15.000.000 people and its not going to cast anyone anymore money.

 

[longtimefan]

Infrastructure as a provider of lots of jobs is yet another myth.

Primary example: Keystone Pipeline.