Three New Arenas in NW Ohio?

[Salsa]

An article in the Blade today says Toledo area officials have reached an agreement that a new Arena should be located downtown in the same area as the Convention Center and Fifth/Third Baseball Park. A County official says he would immediately support funding a study for the arena. The tone of the article suggests putting this project on a fast track.

The arena as currently envisioned would have a capacity of 10,000 and would house Toledo Storm hockey, basketball games, concerts, and other events. Costs are estimated to be at least 50 million and perhaps upwards to 90 million, and would be paid through a bond issue.

Does this mean that there might be three new Arenas in NW Ohio?

1-the Toledo downtown arena
2-a renovated Savage Hall on the U. T. campus
3-a Convocation Center at BG.

Furthermore, do plans for these Arenas impact one another? For example, would a proposed 10,000 seat Arena in downtown Toledo that could be used for hockey, basketball, concerts, etc. affect BG's thinking about capacity, types of events, etc.?

I just wish we would hear something official about BG's Convocation Center. A public announcement about the study which has been going on for several months was supposed to have been released.

Does anyone know what's going on?

[h2oville rocket]

I don't think the size of Toledo's planned arena would affect BG's plans at all. The 10,000 seats aren't there to encourage national acts to come to Toledo so much as it is to handle the expected crowds for the Toledo Ice games.

It is intresting that UT is revamping Savage Hall after some consideration of moving games downtown. I would think any impact would be greater for UT than BG. If the city can get concerts, etc that once went to Savage it would be more of an "event" , in that entertainment of other sorts, i.e. dining, clubs, etc., are more available downtown than near campus.

I would hate to see Rocket games move downtown but I could see some games being played there each year if we ever get to the point where we could even fill the old Field House again. Maybe BGSU or a major national power where the game would be more than another yawner.

BG is pretty campus oriented and I don't see a lot of students piling into cars to travel up the road to Toledo for concerts, plus your Convo would handle graduations and lots of other things that would only make sense on campus. BG's facilities in that regard really need an upgrade and I would think that would be a priority irrespective of what happens in Toledo.

[orangeandbrown]

Let me just say this. The issue of UT playing downtown is not closed.

[Touchdown Rockets]

I've actually seen the architect's renderings of a $38 million upgrade to Savage Hall which does include the indoor practice facility and another basketball practice court. So, I would guess that a downtown arena is out of the question, orangeandbrown.

I have heard that fundraising is still being conducted but that the physical status of the project is "on hold" until the merger is complete. I'll check with someone connected to UT's athletic department and post whatever info I get on here.

[TG1996]

I've actually seen the architect's renderings of a $38 million upgrade to Savage Hall which does include the indoor practice facility and another basketball practice court. So, I would guess that a downtown arena is out of the question, orangeandbrown.

I have heard that fundraising is still being conducted but that the physical status of the project is "on hold" until the merger is complete. I'll check with someone connected to UT's athletic department and post whatever info I get on here.

$38 MILLION!?!?! Impressive!


Though I guess multi-colored seats and carpeted walls aren't as cheap as they used to be...

[h2oville rocket]

[


Though I guess multi-colored seats and carpeted walls aren't as cheap as they used to be... [/quote]
Much like giant concrete facades on football stadiums they eventually get old...

[doughash]

Quoting h2oville rocket, "The 10,000 seats aren't there to encourage national acts to come to Toledo so much as it is to handle the expected crowds for the Toledo Ice games."

I'm not sure anyone caught the sarcasm in the 2nd part of that sentence. That was sarcasm, correct?

[Touchdown Rockets]

$38 MILLION!?!?! Impressive!


Though I guess multi-colored seats and carpeted walls aren't as cheap as they used to be...

Well, there were three original proposals by the architect. I just looked up the article from from back before the decision was made. This lists the three different proposals and the one that they have chosen appears to be closer to Option C (the cheapest one). After they made the decision, they discussed options with the architect and then moved forward with the renderings and allocation of other ideas. In the renderings, I remember seeing the pro shop, tape editing and review rooms, coaches offices, classrooms and academic support space, a 2,000 square foot weight room, a Hall of Fame, and a 60 yard football practice field. I would assume that since everything else fit, they are probably getting the video screen too but I don't remember seeing that. The person that showed me this gave me a figure of $38 mill but I would assume that a lot of fund raising is yet to be done. So, with that and the merger, who knows how long until this moves forward. We were originally supposed to get access to the fly through video on UT's site in December, but this merger stuff put that on hold. I'm still waiting on a response about the downtown vs. campus thing in order to verify that.

Also, I remember that a bunch of new, cozy suites were added in the locations where some of the existing restrooms are. The restrooms will be relocated.

Anyway, here's the article from back in 2004 when all this started.

http://www.toledorockets.com/new_arena_ii.htm

[Touchdown Rockets]

TG1996, thanks for asking about that price. You put the necessary amount of curiosity in me to go back and look for these old articles that I haven't seen for a while. Some good info there too. FWIW, President Johnson would not allow any athletics fund raising until the Capital Campaign had raised its targeted funds. Here's a link about the possible fund raising efforts and where other money will have to come from.

http://www.toledorockets.com/arena_3.htm

[TG1996]

Interesting reads. Thanks.

I'm still trying to figure out how/if suites are necessary for a new college arena (anywhere in mid-major land). The line about EMU's suite sales problem backs up the "no" side of that argument. On the other hand, in a place like BG that seems to have four or five core sponsors of its athletic programs year in and year out (Fricker's, Pepsi, Meijer, etc.), having a space that would equal relatively guaranteed revenue up front would be nice.

However, placement is a different argument. Most schools at MAC level are going to have the "single bowl" model of an arena, I'd think. So suites would likely have to be stuck at the top of the arena, making them alot less attractive to clients that could use the money toward floor seats. Unless, I suppose, there was a design with a "split bowl", with a complete ring of seats around the floor, and a "c-shaped" section of upper level seats, with suites at the open end of the C. From there, how suites fit into graduation and/or concert configurations is a question.

What's that big glassed-in room at the end of Savage Hall? Are those "suite-like", or is it more of a Varsity Club/Falcon Club type lounge? An area like that for Falcon Club members is worth a thought as well.

[h2oville rocket]

Its just a lounge and lousy for watching a game. Most people in there watch other games on TV. Only about 5 or 6 tables border the window so only folks at those tables can see the game.

[Falcons4Life]

Does anybody else find this ridiculous...we all just argued in another forum how UT is closing their dorms...which are meant to house students (assuming that is why a university really exists), and now we are talking about a 38 million dollar renovation to Not so Savage Hall! As much as I want to be like....Toledo you are equally as retarded as we give you credit for....I have to assume this is a result of a 'whack ass' american culture!!! HOW IS THIS ACCEPTABLE??? University...does anyone remember where that word comes from, or what it stands for?

Jesus I sound so European right now....but it is unbeleivable!

[Touchdown Rockets]

Does anybody else find this ridiculous...we all just argued in another forum how UT is closing their dorms...which are meant to house students (assuming that is why a university really exists), and now we are talking about a 38 million dollar renovation to Not so Savage Hall! As much as I want to be like....Toledo you are equally as retarded as we give you credit for....I have to assume this is a result of a 'whack ass' american culture!!! HOW IS THIS ACCEPTABLE??? University...does anyone remember where that word comes from, or what it stands for?

Hey, I'm not the one that told you to believe the doom and gloom of UT that you read from BG fans on this board. In fact, none of them told you about all of the new dorms and University apartments built on campus over the last three years.

Anyway, to my point. I got a response about the downtown UT arena. This is what he said:

Without talking to [a top decision maker], I can't tell you definitively, but I CAN tell you that both he and [the key decision maker] are opposed to moving basketball off-campus. I'd be very surprised if they were to change the plan at this stage.

* I left out names since they aren't as important as their roles in the process and I didn't hear it from them.

[It's the Journey...]

Would those be the same new dorm that were not filled for the spring semester, thus resulting in the mid-year closure of some residence halls?

[transfer2BGSU]

I believe the halls they closed were the older halls (more expensive to heat).