La Tech Continues Facility Upgrades

[UNT Mean Green]

New $18M press box set to open this fall which goes along with a $22M Davison Athletics Complex end zone facility completed in 2015.

Impressive for our C-USA peers.

Edited July 27, 2017 by UNT Mean Green

[Harry]

48 minutes ago, UNT Mean Green said:

New $18M press box set to open this fall which goes along with a $22M Davison Athletics Complex end zone facility completed in 2015.

Impressive for our C-USA peers.

I see it as a positive thing for the conference and truthfully us.  It emphasizes the fact that we cannot sit on our laurels anymore.  I want to see the entire conference continue to build and succeed.

[ADLER]

Did they really need an improvement? The current press box already matches the rest of campus.

 

Edited July 27, 2017 by ADLER

[techdawg88]

[DeepGreen]

Nice press box and end zone facility.

[BTG_Fan1]

WB and NS better be making designs to have our facilities on top for years to come.. not doing remodels in 2/3 years.. 

[oldguystudent]

Last time I was there was 2013, and I remember it looking like this:

So it looks like there have been some pretty good upgrades since. 

[UNT Mean Green]

5 hours ago, oldguystudent said:

Last time I was there was 2013, and I remember it looking like this:

So it looks like there have been some pretty good upgrades since. 

Definitely.

[techdawg88]

also replaced the stadium lights with LED ones

[Rowdy]

15 minutes ago, techdawg88 said:

also replaced the stadium lights with LED ones

Place is looking nice.  LED lights do make a huge difference though too.  

[UNTFan23]

19 minutes ago, techdawg88 said:

also replaced the stadium lights with LED ones

LED fixtures are nice in that as they age, the color temperature of the light doesn't change whereas with HID fixtures/lamps, the color temp tends to get "cooler" (and dimmer). LED fixtures can get dimmer as individual diodes die plus sometimes you end up intermittent failure where groups of diodes "flicker".

[TreeFiddy]

Good to see that Latech is trying to keep up.  With the statewide budget cuts it's got to be tough to come up with the funds.  I am sure they realize that they don't have much of a choice though if they don't want to fall behind.

I hope WB is able to announce the IPF project kickoff soon.  Real soon.

[Aldo]

18 minutes ago, TreeFiddy said:

Good to see that Latech is trying to keep up.  With the statewide budget cuts it's got to be tough to come up with the funds.  I am sure they realize that they don't have much of a choice though if they don't want to fall behind.

I hope WB is able to announce the IPF project kickoff soon.  Real soon.

Need to hit up all those NFL players for money. They've done reeeeeally well without those upgrades. This is well deserved. 

[techdawg88]

11 minutes ago, Aldo said:

Need to hit up all those NFL players for money. They've done reeeeeally well without those upgrades. This is well deserved. 

and Paul Millsap just got paid big time w/ the Denver Nuggets

[NT91]

Grapevine High baseball field is getting LED lighting soon. To bad NT can't get a 

baseball stadium soon.

[BTG_Fan1]

9 hours ago, NT91 said:

Grapevine High baseball field is getting LED lighting soon. To bad NT can't get a 

baseball stadium soon.

We could get baseball but in an AD Budget that is having to spend $ to catch up after the years of not keeping up, we currently don't have the money to spend...

Baseball is a sport that is a drain on the AD Budget because it doesn't turn a profit (usually around 2 millions in lost revenue).. spend that 2 million on building a nice weight room and IPF that will benefit multiple sports or spend that money on fixing up the Superpit and its concourse water stained roof titles.. fix the current problems instead of over extending and making a thing Budget even thinner.. 

also, this post just goes on to show that UNT isn't just behind D1 regional schools but behind high schools.

[NT91]

Looks like Fouts with a nice box.

[UNTFan23]

20 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

We could get baseball but in an AD Budget that is having to spend $ to catch up after the years of not keeping up, we currently don't have the money to spend...

Baseball is a sport that is a drain on the AD Budget because it doesn't turn a profit (usually around 2 millions in lost revenue).. spend that 2 million on building a nice weight room and IPF that will benefit multiple sports or spend that money on fixing up the Superpit and its concourse water stained roof titles.. fix the current problems instead of over extending and making a thing Budget even thinner.. 

also, this post just goes on to show that UNT isn't just behind D1 regional schools but behind high schools.

If the donor base was bigger it's easier to build/upgrade facilities as you're not devoting as much regular revenue to capital projects.

[Ben Gooding]

21 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

We could get baseball but in an AD Budget that is having to spend $ to catch up after the years of not keeping up, we currently don't have the money to spend...

Baseball is a sport that is a drain on the AD Budget because it doesn't turn a profit (usually around 2 millions in lost revenue).. spend that 2 million on building a nice weight room and IPF that will benefit multiple sports or spend that money on fixing up the Superpit and its concourse water stained roof titles.. fix the current problems instead of over extending and making a thing Budget even thinner.. 

also, this post just goes on to show that UNT isn't just behind D1 regional schools but behind high schools.

Whatever.

We will never be a viable option in conference realignment unless we have a baseball program. Want to propel ourselves into relevance, ever? Then do whatever the hell it takes to fund and stand up a baseball team. 

Football needs an extension to its weight room facility and an actual locker room reno. It doesn't need an IPF. You yourself talk about fixing other programs before trying to start on building a new one, no? I agree, so worry about fixing current facilities over trying to build new ones. Same concept applied. But you'll twist it into what you want though. 

Bottom line is we NEED a locker room reno. We NEED a weight room extension. We NEED a baseball program. We WANT an IPF. We WANT a new surface on the track. And we WANT a new woman's soccer complex. 

[tmjerm]

5 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

Whatever.

We will never be a viable option in conference realignment unless we have a baseball program. Want to propel ourselves into relevance, ever? Then do whatever the hell it takes to fund and stand up a baseball team. 

Football needs an extension to its weight room facility and an actual locker room reno. It doesn't need an IPF. You yourself talk about fixing other programs before trying to start on building a new one, no? I agree, so worry about fixing current facilities over trying to build new ones. Same concept applied. But you'll twist it into what you want though. 

Bottom line is we NEED a locker room reno. We NEED a weight room extension. We NEED a baseball program. We WANT an IPF. We WANT a new surface on the track. And we WANT a new woman's soccer complex. 

I agree with all of this but you've got to quit being so disrespectful to people dude.  I know you feel like you're in a minority and carrying your torch of high standards is admirable.  Respect.  Do it with some grace though.  

[Ben Gooding]

5 minutes ago, tmjerm said:

I agree with all of this but you've got to quit being so disrespectful to people dude.  I know you feel like you're in a minority and carrying your torch of high standards is admirable.  Respect.  Do it with some grace though.  

I wasn't being disrespectful in any way. I posted that with no ill will toward anyone. 

[GrandGreen]

3 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

Whatever.

We will never be a viable option in conference realignment unless we have a baseball program. Want to propel ourselves into relevance, ever? Then do whatever the hell it takes to fund and stand up a baseball team. 

Football needs an extension to its weight room facility and an actual locker room reno. It doesn't need an IPF. You yourself talk about fixing other programs before trying to start on building a new one, no? I agree, so worry about fixing current facilities over trying to build new ones. Same concept applied. But you'll twist it into what you want though. 

Bottom line is we NEED a locker room reno. We NEED a weight room extension. We NEED a baseball program. We WANT an IPF. We WANT a new surface on the track. And we WANT a new woman's soccer complex. 

Name one school that has been left out of a conference realignment because of lack of baseball.  It is a nice to have in your arsenal, but far from essential.  

I fail to see your logic in preference of weight room expansion and locker room renovation over an IPF.   All three are non-essential but parts of the athletic arms race.   At least NT has functional locker rooms and a weight room.   

Your wants and needs are merely your preferences not based on any logical analysis of the situation.    Baseball is a major cost and I hope its added at some point, but the drivers are football and men's basketball.  Everything else are distant seconds in importance.  I don't think NT can have a track program without a facility. Unless you know of  plans to add 6 sports to stay eligible for the fb division without track than facilities are necessary.  The soccer facilities are an obvious and relatively cheap addition to the track fields.    Soccer maybe a secondary sport but it is also NT's best and most would like to fuel their success to the next level.   

In your parlance, only the track facility is a need.   They are not going to leave half of Fouts open forever and not utilize that premium space.   The others are wants, or improvement not vital to the continuation of the programs.   

[UNTFan23]

I think the track around Fouts is past a want and is a need in terms of its condition.

North Texas WANTS to host a track conference tournament. In order to do so we NEED a better facility than what we have today. Also, the university NEEDS the land Fouts sits on and so we really NEED a new track facility in a different loaction.

[BTG_Fan1]

5 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

Whatever.

We will never be a viable option in conference realignment unless we have a baseball program. Want to propel ourselves into relevance, ever? Then do whatever the hell it takes to fund and stand up a baseball team. 

Football needs an extension to its weight room facility and an actual locker room reno. It doesn't need an IPF. You yourself talk about fixing other programs before trying to start on building a new one, no? I agree, so worry about fixing current facilities over trying to build new ones. Same concept applied. But you'll twist it into what you want though. 

Bottom line is we NEED a locker room reno. We NEED a weight room extension. We NEED a baseball program. We WANT an IPF. We WANT a new surface on the track. And we WANT a new woman's soccer complex. 

Baseball doesn't not get you into relevance.. if that was true you would see baseball power programs doing better than they are.. Rice, Pepperdine are just notable names that have not seen anything.. heck Long Beach state has turned out notable big names and where are they in football? Heck Tulsa doesn't have it but yet people say we should be like Tulsa.

It is idiotic to spend and lose more money on baseball while we need to improve current sport facilities.. the IPF will benefit the track team, soccer, football.. Improve the Athletic Complex and the other current facilities.. having tennis courts with giant cracks, having no track stadium is ridiculous, and the Superpit is currently on its last leg.

The funding needed to start a baseball program would cost more alone than just redoing the locker room and getting it to look like LAT, and the new weight room is in the plan for the IPF..

Baseball is something that is down the road and will be coming, WB has talked about adding it once the other sports are up to date/ on par/ above others. We can complain saying we want it but multiple other things are ahead of it.

[BTG_Fan1]

6 hours ago, UNTFan23 said:

If the donor base was bigger it's easier to build/upgrade facilities as you're not devoting as much regular revenue to capital projects.

True, but again you have to spend money to make money.. The university is growing, one of the largest and great value for tuition. NS has talked about making this a "Tier 1" athletic school, have the school present the plans and I'm sure you will get some more donations. Recent alumni want to have a reason to cheer for UNT, and UNT investing in themselves first will go a long way in showing and impressing fans and soon to be graduates.