Vito Blog: New Stadium Info

[NT80]

From DRC's Vito Blog:

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/

Posted by Brett Vito at 7:53 PM |

A few interesting stadium tidbits

There are probably a lot of fans out there who have already seen the athletic department's promotional material soliciting donations for a new football stadium -- "Building Champions One Piece at a Time, The New Football Stadium."

But I thought it would be worth running through some of the highlights on the blog after we got a hold of a copy of the packet at the Denton Record-Chronicle.

The large color binder has everything one would expect, including a statement from the president and athletic director, a look back at some Mean Green history and a rundown of what UNT has accomplished in terms of improving its facilities over the last few years. It also points out why the university feels like it needs to build a football stadium as soon as possible.

What is particularly interesting are some of the details about the plans themselves. Here is what caught my attention:

-- The exterior of the stadium will include brick, glass and fabricated medal

-- The basic design will be a sunken horseshoe that will seat 30,000 and will be expandable to 50,000.

-- There will be a four-story tower on the west side that will include the press box and a club level

-- The plans include fan decks for private groups

Part of the pitch also includes the fact that the stadium could attract other events, including concerts and high school playoff games -- not to mention better nonconference opponents.

The fact that the stadium could host more than UNT football games appears as if it will be a key selling point to attract donors from beyond the athletic department, including those in the hotel and hospitality business who graduated from UNT.

Post your thoughts on the blog. When do you think the project will be finished?

...........................................................

So, has any poster here received one of these donor packets yet? I wonder if they include an artist's rendering?

Edited May 18, 2008 by NT80

[eulessismore]

It sounds like many of the multi-use concepts were mentioned by those posting in my topic, "Other Uses for a New Football Stadium".

Of course, the forum responses on that thread were just common sense; we all KNEW there would be a music performance venue, didn't we?

Link

Other Stadium Uses

[gangrene]

What is particularly interesting are some of the details about the plans themselves. Here is what caught my attention:

-- The exterior of the stadium will include brick, glass and fabricated medal

Will it be the the gold, silver or bronze medal that will adorn the outside of the new stadium?

[emmitt01]

Will it be the the gold, silver or bronze medal that will adorn the outside of the new stadium?

Our stadium is going triple uranium.

[UNTflyer]

So, has any poster here received one of these donor packets yet? I wonder if they include an artist's rendering?

First I've heard of this

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I didn't think that there would be any brochures until after the HKS drawings had been approved. Then I would have expected them to have been included in brochure/video presentations to potential donors.

As to when, who knows? They have some promised, some that will make a decision after the presentation, and smaller pledges as soon as the campaign kicks off. But, if they don't back the bonds with student fees, then the new stadium may still be several years off IMO.

[UNTflyer]

But, if they don't back the bonds with student fees, then the new stadium may still be several years off IMO.

A student fee is coming.

[SUMG]

I did hear that the fundraising campaign is about to go from the silent phase into the next phases:

The next phase is the "shhhh....everybody be quiet" phase.

Then, we go into the "I don't want to hear a peep out of any of you" phase.

And, then we go into the "if you kids don't shut up, RV's gonna turn the car around and we're going back home" phase.

At least that's what I'm "not hearing", if you catch my drift.

Projected stadium completion date: Several years after you're all dead.

[drex]

Anyone can dream....let's see some action.

[DeepGreen]

Projected stadium completion date: Several years after you're all dead.

The light just went on! I think I'll have a picture of the "proposed" venue engraved on my granite headstone. Probably as close as I'll ever get to a new stadium at NT.

[PlummMeanGreen]

The light just went on! I think I'll have a picture of the "proposed" venue engraved on my granite headstone. Probably as close as I'll ever get to a new stadium at NT.

Who knows, maybe we will once again dominte the Sun Belt with a 30,000 seat stadium. Appears we will be the last school in the SBC that is going to build a new stadium to get one started.

Not good for all of our fellow Texans (and Lone Star collegians) who believe perception is reality and the grins that will be generated where we all work with what the future "2'nd Largest University of Texas" will build "capacity-wise" with this new stadium. Yes, there will always be the "expansion card" of: Well, we can build it bigger when we need to do so, but anyone else believe that may never happen in all of you Young Gun Alum's lifetimes. Our history and track record from the past tells us it will not.

Dr. Gretchen, is this the best we can really do? Are we so dis-jointed and un-connected from this North Texas Metroplex/Fortune 50 Mecca? Some on this very forum (and beyond GMG.com) have privately conveyed that we might could have been raising bigger monies much quicker if we had had more "North Texas Metroplex-connected" fundraisers on the UNT staff the whole time and................during a golden time (now lost) before this present economy went to hell in a handbasket.

I still have hope that you all will do the right thing with the reservoir of potential Big Donor names you have in your little lock-boxes up there. Surprise us all and do better than 30,000; hellbells, 33,000 is bigger than SMU and UH's best I can recall. Use their 2 stadium capacities as a barometer that even UNT can do better than. Perception is reality and those who would leave behind their UNT staff successors and our long-suffering alumnus a 30,000 seat stadium should be ashamed for the mental cruelty of such an idea. Hey, we are the ones left behind when you're all gone. Do you all understand the term, uh, legacy?

I defer to the below signature...

Edited May 18, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

[Mean'n'Green07]

I remember four years ago when I first heard of the new stadium they said the projected date was 2009... no one on this board even knows if we have 5% of the total money needed to start construction for the new stadium.

I feel like Charley Brown attempting to kick a football every time I read one of these threads.

[stebo]

Expected costs are roughly $60 million. The department has raised about 10% (or $6 million) of these funds.

[DeepGreen]

Expected costs are roughly $60 million. The department has raised about 10% (or $6 million) of these funds.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but $6 million is not going to cut it.

[GreenMachine]

Expected costs are roughly $60 million. The department has raised about 10% (or $6 million) of these funds.

man, what a kick to the nads. I thought with the hotel announcements and all, we were a lot closer to obtaining the funding than this.

[UNTflyer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but $6 million is not going to cut it.

I have not even been approached about a donation. I think this number will get a pretty good bump with:

1. A corporate partner

2. MGC donations

3. A new student fee

[SUMG]

That $60 million figure has been bandied about for years now. I'd bet that with the rising cost of steel and concrete....we'd need $65-70 million to get what we originally wanted.

Edited May 18, 2008 by SUMG

[hickoryhouse]

I seriously doubt that we will need the entire amount in hand to begin with, but that opens up another question.... is it like buying ahouse where they recomend 20% or is itmuch higher than that?

What kind of money does a hotel sponsorship bring? would they not pay to sponsor if they paid to help build the building (one time exchange of cash vs. yearly)

[NT80]

The Stadium will probably be bonded out on the payback with the new student fees and user revenues. I doubt 20% is even needed to be able to do that. Most don't have cash in hand before they build.

[DeepGreen]

Several have mentioned the "new student fee" as if it's a done deal. If it is, then when will the BOR vote on it?... what will be the effective date? Fall 2008? What will the "per semester fee be? And for the record, I've only read about this proposed fee on this board. Nothing from the UNT brass.

[MeanMag]

I would not think the fee would be implemented until the stadium were built, similar to the rec center. That way a student doesn't feel like they are paying for something they can't use. We might even get more student participation if they know they are paying for it, they should be more inclined to use it...

[Green P1]

Who knows, maybe we will once again dominte the Sun Belt with a 30,000 seat stadium. Appears we will be the last school in the SBC that is going to build a new stadium to get one started.

Not good for all of our fellow Texans (and Lone Star collegians) who believe perception is reality and the grins that will be generated where we all work with what the future "2'nd Largest University of Texas" will build "capacity-wise" with this new stadium. Yes, there will always be the "expansion card" of: Well, we can build it bigger when we need to do so, but anyone else believe that may never happen in all of you Young Gun Alum's lifetimes. Our history and track record from the past tells us it will not.

Dr. Gretchen, is this the best we can really do? Are we so dis-jointed and un-connected from this North Texas Metroplex/Fortune 50 Mecca? Some on this very forum (and beyond GMG.com) have privately conveyed that we might could have been raising bigger monies much quicker if we had had more "North Texas Metroplex-connected" fundraisers on the UNT staff the whole time and................during a golden time (now lost) before this present economy went to hell in a handbasket.

I still have hope that you all will do the right thing with the reservoir of potential Big Donor names you have in your little lock-boxes up there. Surprise us all and do better than 30,000; hellbells, 33,000 is bigger than SMU and UH's best I can recall. Use their 2 stadium capacities as a barometer that even UNT can do better than. Perception is reality and those who would leave behind their UNT staff successors and our long-suffering alumnus a 30,000 seat stadium should be ashamed for the mental cruelty of such an idea. Hey, we are the ones left behind when you're all gone. Do you all understand the term, uh, legacy?

I defer to the below signature...

I understand, and somewhat agree with what you are saying here but I don't think the idea of new 30K horseshoe stadium is all that bad. If UNT builds an attractive, state of the art 30K stadium rather than a less impressive bigger one I'd say thats a pretty good starting point. If or when the problem arises that it's not big enough, the prospect of filling in the horseshoe wouldn't be that daunting of an undertaking. Although I've not seen any plans, and I'm just going off what was in Vitto's blog, it sounds to me that the current idea is one of quality over size, with the ability to easily expand.

I'm not holding my breath, but if this speculation is to be trusted I really like the direction it's going.

[UNTflyer]

Several have mentioned the "new student fee" as if it's a done deal. If it is, then when will the BOR vote on it?...

A few months ago I was gun-ho about getting a referendum before the students, so much so that I posted a proposed bill on this board and sent copies to student senators and the student body president.

I was contacted by a few key people and was told of the plan. There is a plan in place. The phrase tossed around was "sometime next semester".

[Zeke]

There is a plan in place. The phrase tossed around was "sometime next semester".

You can expect to hear the same thing next semester - and the next, and the......

[GangGreen]

Our stadium is going triple uranium.

I was thinking it would be made of unobtainium.