New Football Renovations Announced Finally!

[GoSU96]

I was just up at Skytop today with an individual showing him where the new stadium was being proposed just before the stock market went into the crapper. Several things happened which I'm not going to get into here that put everything in the wrong direction. There were investors who were fast trackers who met with TGD. The OK was given from the top to proceed. Sometime take a ride to the very top of Sky Top, you'll see there is plenty of land for a stadium/hotel/restaurant. Parking and access were to be on the perimeter taking out part of Drumlins Golf course. Some of the people at the meeting were investors another individual had been involved in other stadium projects. It was a business deal whereby the university provided the land and the people getting the financing would get parking/concessions and other rights. The university would get their state of the art stadium with retractable roof and the football program would get the shot in the arm to get jump started back to relevance. They were looking at an el system for use to transport fans and students back & forth to the main campus. The restaurant would be a hall of fame type with the decor in SU colors, trophy & picture displays, rooms where you could view videos of great games. The talks were serious.

I got a kick out of a statement from an old friend, state senator John DeFrancisco when asked about the possibility. I think it's a foolish idea, they can't even fill the stadium that they have. It's the same kind of narrow minded thinking that was expressed back in 1969 when my group first proposed a domed stadium. Frank Gualteri, who was the Republican candidate for mayor, said he thought it was a grandiose idea in these times of inflation. At the time a domed stadium similar to what was built would have cost $6 million. There were state and federal matching funds available. About 10 years later that figure went up by around $20 million.

Anybody can take a meeting and discuss a concept. Between a retractable roof stadium, hotel, and transportation the cost is $500M minimum. If you are talking private investors and financing where's the business case? These facilities have been built in Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, Indianapolis and they are year round multiuse hubs in major cities. They are NFL stadiums and are hosting Superbowls, National Championships, BCS Bowls, Final Fours. There are multiple major conventions annually.

The last five University stadiums built are all open air factilites: Akron, 30K, $62M; Minny 51K, $289M; UCF, 45K, $55M; Standford, 50K, $90M, and Uconn, 40K, 91M. All but Uconn are owned by the University, the Rent is owned by the State.

 

[kcsu]

According to the very little that i know. The Dome can be improved upon. As we all know there isnt a bad seat in the house. Concessions Bathrooms are the biggest downside. The interior would be pretty easy to spruce up. Video screens would do a lot to improve the facility. Back to Manley i think that it is more a question of the other sports teams also needing indoor space than Manley not being a long term solution which is why i do think you will see SU break ground on a new practice facility by 2014

 

[Scooch]

According to the very little that i know. The Dome can be improved upon. As we all know there isnt a bad seat in the house. Concessions Bathrooms are the biggest downside. The interior would be pretty easy to spruce up. Video screens would do a lot to improve the facility. Back to Manley i think that it is more a question of the other sports teams also needing indoor space than Manley not being a long term solution which is why i do think you will see SU break ground on a new practice facility by 2014

I've seen the Red Sox ownership group make improvements to Fenway Park that might have seemed impossible. They managed to open up concourses, add ammenities, add bathrooms, etc all to a 100 year old building that sits on a tiny footprint. There is absolutely no reason why some improvements couldn't be made at the Dome, assuming the university has the money and desire to do so.

That being said, as much as I love the Dome, I wouldn't be against a new facility being built out at Skytop. I mean we're not talking about the distance between Storrs and East Hartford here. It's a mile.

And here's the kicker: people reminisce about the amazing atmosphere and advantage that was Manley Fieldhouse. Well guess what, THAT WASN'T ON CAMPUS. At least not on the quad. Why on Earth would a football stadium in basically the same location be any different?!

 

[tipphill]

i don't mind the dome the way its --pee toughs top state of the art bathrooms as it moves the masses faster---i know its pie in the sky, but adding a retractable dome would be great (just dreaming here) its probably cheaper to build a new stadium, but as many of us have said who have gone through the archbold days,forget the open air, its hard enough to get the fans in good weather--it would be impossible to get them to sit in the cold rain. hell i'd rather sit in snow flurries than cold rain

 

[ImperialOrange]

I've seen the Red Sox ownership group make improvements to Fenway Park that might have seemed impossible. They managed to open up concourses, add ammenities, add bathrooms, etc all to a 100 year old building that sits on a tiny footprint. There is absolutely no reason why some improvements couldn't be made at the Dome, assuming the university has the money and desire to do so.

That being said, as much as I love the Dome, I wouldn't be against a new facility being built out at Skytop. I mean we're not talking about the distance between Storrs and East Hartford here. It's a mile.

And here's the kicker: people reminisce about the amazing atmosphere and advantage that was Manley Fieldhouse. Well guess what, THAT WASN'T ON CAMPUS. At least not on the quad. Why on Earth would a football stadium in basically the same location be any different?!

FSG is currently looking at upgrading my beloved Anfield vs building a new facility as well. There is something to be said for history as long as you can update it well.

I wouldn't be opposed to a new Sky Top venue as I park there anyway and would imagine tailgating would be a much easier venture given the space available. However I do still love the Dome since it houses my favorite Syracuse memories and I think with a few added/upgraded modern amenities it could be a very, very good venue once again.

 

[tipphill]

According to the very little that i know. The Dome can be improved upon. As we all know there isnt a bad seat in the house. Concessions Bathrooms are the biggest downside. The interior would be pretty easy to spruce up. Video screens would do a lot to improve the facility. Back to Manley i think that it is more a question of the other sports teams also needing indoor space than Manley not being a long term solution which is why i do think you will see SU break ground on a new practice facility by 2014

whats wrong with the concessions and the bathrooms(mens anyway)

 

[GoSU96]

I've seen the Red Sox ownership group make improvements to Fenway Park that might have seemed impossible. They managed to open up concourses, add ammenities, add bathrooms, etc all to a 100 year old building that sits on a tiny footprint. There is absolutely no reason why some improvements couldn't be made at the Dome, assuming the university has the money and desire to do so.

That being said, as much as I love the Dome, I wouldn't be against a new facility being built out at Skytop. I mean we're not talking about the distance between Storrs and East Hartford here. It's a mile.

And here's the kicker: people reminisce about the amazing atmosphere and advantage that was Manley Fieldhouse. Well guess what, THAT WASN'T ON CAMPUS. At least not on the quad. Why on Earth would a football stadium in basically the same location be any different?!

A new stadium at Skytop would be fine, but it's not going to be a state of the art retractable roof stadium, unless somebody has an insane amount of money they want to donate to the project.

We could see a very nice open air facility in the 45k range for $100M. That might be doable. If that happens, you will need to build a 20K seat basketball arena as well, and those aren't cheap.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

whats wrong with the concessions and the bathrooms(mens anyway)

People clamor for expanded menus and more dining options, but the fact is that the best sellers are always the standard stadium options (hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, etc.). A lot of the attempts to offer specialty items end up struggling to meet the profit margin for producing said items.

 

[Scooch]

A new stadium at Skytop would be fine, but it's not going to be a state of the art retractable roof stadium, unless somebody has an insane amount of money they want to donate to the project.

We could see a very nice open air facility in the 45k range for $100M. That might be doable. If that happens, you will need to build a 20K seat basketball arena as well, and those aren't cheap.

Yeah, I hear you. I think the Dome is fine, and I don't expect to see a new facility built anytime soon.

I do think that once the facilities have been upgraded to an appropriate level that SU should sink some money into renovating the Dome. I'm no architect or engineer, but I'd like to see them widen the concourses considerably, and perhaps take out some back row seating to accomplish that. I'd also like to see them install plastic chairs in place of the metal benches in the lower level. All told I'm fine with doing things that causes a reduction in football capacity to ~45K.

 

[tipphill]

People clamor for expanded menus and more dining options, but the fact is that the best sellers are always the standard stadium options (hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, etc.). A lot of the attempts to offer specialty items end up struggling to meet the profit margin for producing said items.

exactly i am not going to the dome for dinner!! i ate that at the tailgate

 

[tipphill]

Yeah, I hear you. I think the Dome is fine, and I don't expect to see a new facility built anytime soon.

I do think that once the facilities have been upgraded to an appropriate level that SU should sink some money into renovating the Dome. I'm no architect or engineer, but I'd like to see them widen the concourses considerably, and perhaps take out some back row seating to accomplish that. I'd also like to see them install plastic chairs in place of the metal benches in the lower level. All told I'm fine with doing things that causes a reduction in football capacity to ~45K.

that would be coupled with ticket price increase---ok i'm in

 

[Noexcuse]

exactly i am not going to the dome for dinner!! i ate that at the tailgate

True for football but maybe not so much for basketball and other events at the Dome.

 

[ImperialOrange]

exactly i am not going to the dome for dinner!! i ate that at the tailgate

I would be willing to shell out ~$10 a cup though, if Middle Ages had a few stands offering Dragon Slayer, Druid Fluid, Wailing Wench, Tripel Crown, etc. set up around the Dome.

Same goes for Ommegang, or Southern Tier selections if they'd have interest in it.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

I would be willing to shell out ~$10 a cup though, if Middle Ages had a few stands offering Dragon Slayer, Druid Fluid, Wailing Wench, Tripel Crown, etc. set up around the Dome.

Same goes for Ommegang, or Southern Tier selections if they'd have interest in it.

I'd be more interested in Empire than Middle Ages.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I'd be more interested in Empire than Middle Ages.

In all my beer drinking ventures, I have yet to run across anything from them (that I recall). Regardless, I'm in as long as it's fairly high test (7%+) and you can't clearly see light through it.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

I've seen the Red Sox ownership group make improvements to Fenway Park that might have seemed impossible. They managed to open up concourses, add ammenities, add bathrooms, etc all to a 100 year old building that sits on a tiny footprint. There is absolutely no reason why some improvements couldn't be made at the Dome, assuming the university has the money and desire to do so.

That being said, as much as I love the Dome, I wouldn't be against a new facility being built out at Skytop. I mean we're not talking about the distance between Storrs and East Hartford here. It's a mile.

And here's the kicker: people reminisce about the amazing atmosphere and advantage that was Manley Fieldhouse. Well guess what, THAT WASN'T ON CAMPUS. At least not on the quad. Why on Earth would a football stadium in basically the same location be any different?!

The Dome is great. What it needs is some sprucing up. Regular seats in some sections, bigger replay board, lots of nice decorations in the concession area - in fact redo the whole corridor so it doesn't look like concrete block, some high-end food vendors (sushi, lobster rolls, steak sandwiches, etc.), bars that sell other than beer. Lots of folks are way too young to know what it was like to sit in Archbold with snow or rain/snow mix falling on your head during a game. Pee troughs? They are great for maximum throughput!

 

[OttoMets]

The Dome is great. What it needs is some sprucing up. Regular seats in some sections, bigger replay board, lots of nice decorations in the concession area - in fact redo the whole corridor so it doesn't look like concrete block, some high-end food vendors (sushi, lobster rolls, steak sandwiches, etc.), bars that sell other than beer. Lots of folks are way too young to know what it was like to sit in Archbold with snow or rain/snow mix falling on your head during a game. Pee troughs? They are great for maximum throughput!

Build a glassy, full-height annex onto the west end of the building; it'd be a sort of grand entrance from Irving. Get some proper bus parking and loading docks on the street level, expanded/additional locker rooms and press space above that, and punch out the first and third deck concourses into an atrium area above (with more concessions, bathrooms, and general loitering space).

Throw in a couple decent scoreboards and the Dome is a really nice venue.

 

[Alcuse01]

sushi, lobster rolls, etc? High priced drinks? Ppl won't shell out $99 for a season's worth of tickets... .and complained when I think the beer increased $.25 or $.50.

Not trying to turn this into anything, but if the 5M upgrade produces better recruits, and in turn, produces a better product, the current stadium doesn't need any sort of fine tunning to get the fans there. The product on the field will do that.

Having said that, if a new stadium was built, with the old structure as the surrounding wall, I think it would look amazing. I realize that wasn't mentioned at all, but if they built a new stadium with archbold in mind, it would be amazing.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

sushi, lobster rolls, etc? High priced drinks? Ppl won't shell out $99 for a season's worth of tickets... .and complained when I think the beer increased $.25 or $.50.

Not trying to turn this into anything, but if the 5M upgrade produces better recruits, and in turn, produces a better product, the current stadium doesn't need any sort of fine tunning to get the fans there. The product on the field will do that.

Having said that, if a new stadium was built, with the old structure as the surrounding wall, I think it would look amazing. I realize that wasn't mentioned at all, but if they built a new stadium with archbold in mind, it would be amazing.

For those that won't, fine...hot dogs & beer. When I come, I'd like sushi & wine.

No argument there - a better product on the field means more butts in the seats (some of whom might go for a lobster roll).

You do mean enclosed stadium I assume? If you didn't, then it's a dead give away that your are 27 years old or less...

 

[OttoMets]

No renderings, but some interesting expansion blueprints here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2Xo82GXTbPdRk9fcEk3ZFFFcEk/edit