Stadium renovation or construction plans down the road

[BGDrew]

I've been to games 20 minutes before kickoff and missed the opening drive because of poor crowd control.

[Tech83]

Aren't the foundation and framework solid? I know there's been some concrete cracking but as far as I can tell this is repairable. If not, people wouldn't build stadiums out of concrete. Unless it's way worse than I believe it is, I just don't see how a new stadium can be justified at all. I've heard a complaint about narrow entrance tunnels once ... and that was when a wall of students was rushing to get into the stadium in 2008 against Minnesota. Other than that I've never heard this complaint. The Sebo Center does not in fact match the rest of the stadium perfectly and I understand that, but if a new stadium is justified off of aesthetics I think the fans and alums would have a problem. (And I LOVE the Sebo Center design!) The complaints I see listed just don't add up to a new stadium to me, especially when attendance is low and the university isn't exactly rolling in dough. I would be all in favor of fixing the concrete cracks and explore turning the south open space into a bowl, if attendance spikes and keeps high.

Now if the stadium really is in dire condition or is headed that way, somebody please correct me.

You can repair concrete - yes. However, the design of the stadium is pretty poor otherwise. I could certainly do some cool things under and in front of the current building to correct the amenities, but it can be just as quick and easy to raze one side of the stadium and start new.

The vomitories are horrendous. You can't correct them..... you can only replace the stands. I don't think ushers or going to solve the problem

I think you could save one side of the stadium and add something better on the other. I like the metal stands at Miami - you can generate a lot of crowd noise with the design of the structure.

I doubt you can add to the existing structure either (such as upper decks and boxes). The original building may have been designed for the additional structural load, but the age of the concrete and the advancement of the building codes, I seriously doubt its would be technically possible. (I'm not really interested in putting my license on the line by relying on a structural design done 50 years ago. )

[mjmorefield]

Wouldn't it make the most sense to demolish one side of the stands at a time and replace both sides over a two to three year period? Let's face it, with the attendance being what it currently is we could get away with only one side of the stadium for a season or two. We have a new field and athletic complex in the Sebo that are top of the line. Shouldn't the stadium match?

I vote for a new horeshoe-style stadium, enclosing the South end that would fit between 20 and 25K. Increase the pitch of the seats and make it expandable with upper deck seating that could be added at a later time if necessity dictates it.

[footballguy51]

If you demolished one side of the stadium in late November or early December, as soon as the season ended, you could have a new side built and ready to go by August. It's been done in the past for entire facilities, so doing this for one side should be feasible.

[transfer2BGSU]

What about something that looks like Crew Stadium?

http://www.thecrew.com/stadium

[Globetrotter]

What about something that looks like Crew Stadium?

http://www.thecrew.com/stadium

Construction cost $28.5 million
($37.6 million in 2012 dollars[2])

The stadium presently seats 20,145.

It took 274 days from groundbreaking to the inaugural game (9 months, 1 day).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Crew_Stadium

[BillyLP]

What about something that looks like Crew Stadium?

http://www.thecrew.com/stadium

Construction cost $28.5 million
($37.6 million in 2012 dollars[2])

The stadium presently seats 20,145.

It took 274 days from groundbreaking to the inaugural game (9 months, 1 day).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Crew_Stadium

I believe they have had up to 30,000 in there for special matches, too. I would totally be all in for something like that, but realistically, with the Sebo only opening 4-ish years ago, I'm thinking that if anything were to happen in the next 10 years, it would be an overhaul of the existing structure.

[Globetrotter]

Couldnt we do that and make it something like the Crew Stadium?

[Bubba Bo Bob Brain]

... Metzger & I were talking about it the other day during the basketball game and a big problem with the athletic department is that they don't realize the industry that they're in. The fans that come to the games are the customers and they really should be bending over backwards to provide the best game day experience they can. Something is wrong when you can seem to get a more personal game day experience at the 115,000 seat Big House than what you do at the Doyt. ...

You are absolutely correct. The administration does not see us as customers, but as sources of revenue. If you're not a major donor, they don't have time for you. I have nothing against the major donors, and I really do appreciate all they do for the university and the individual teams. In fact, I know some bigger contributors who don't play the Sneetch game.

If actions speak louder than words, I think the administration has proven their attitude time and again. One way was with the fund raising golf outings. As FACTMAN reminded me in a different area of the forum,
"Remember.....all the outings got combined into one and it FLOPPED big time, so in GC's infinite wisdom, they went back to having individual outings after a couple of years, but................you had to give $100 of each player fee to the Falcon Club. Simply makes it not worthwhile having it and it has cost the department many thousands of $$$ over the past few years."

They forget that a lot of little dollars add up, and so instead go ONLY for the bigger bucks.

Same as the tickets for Stroh with no general admission. If I remember my math classes, 1400 X $10.00 = 1000 X $14.00. I understand that no one can guarantee any numbers, but I think I'd rather have more people giving less money than fewer people giving more money. At least then they could justify to themselves treating fans as a second class source of income instead of as customers. Freddy, Freida, and Sic-Sic are all over the place greeting students and off-campus fans. Where are the AD, the Falcon Club director, or other BIG administrators? They certainly aren't schmoozing with the rest of us.

[NWLB]

Like many, I've spent a couple decades attending games at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. It is my first love among the sports venues at BGSU. The stadium overall, is better now than it was ten years ago. And better off than 20 years ago. I think new talk of changes to division 1 may be impacting things, even opening minds to new possibilities. The fear of not having enough seats doesn't seem an issue now, nor likely to become one again. We also may be on the road to changes that might make it easier for a BGSU to manage being in its division, without having to sell-out to every six figure bonus check it can play for. Or maybe not.

Regardless, the physical structure is near a tipping point I think. My guess would be that a survey would reveal it is at a point where determination will accelerate, and force BGSU's hand later. If such were the case, all the dreams and wants might be need to be cast aside in favor of more practical designs.

I'm not 100% to being convinced a total tear-down is required, desirable, or financially possible. But something meaningful has to be done. Ultimately we have to give due consideration to preservation, but not at all costs.

I think a creative approach could retain much of the original structure, history, and connection for many BGSU fans, yet give the university a modern venue people will want to return to. That said, I don't know if they university has the leadership capable of making that happen. And whatever they do implement, may be perfectly good in and of itself, but will they avoid alienating the local fanbase?

My list of thoughts:

Lighting: They added the stadium lights, but only "just" enough supporting lights to get by. You still stumble about the concourse and walkways to get back to your car, the food stands, anyplace. Yes, locals like myself can walk around the place like it is our living room or back yard, and feel as comfortable, but that is not the point. It feels and looks low-rent. This must change.

Ticket Booths:

More and Bigger booths, clear lines to the windows, better signage, more people. They need to leverage the Stroh Center booths as an extra option, and promote it. The amount of foot traffic from campus, the city, places to eat, and alternate parking options, which passes by can be serviced before it ever gets to the stadium in many cases. It wouldn't hurt to get people into the building for whatever reason.

Concourse perimeter:

Expand it. Push the fence-line out to the edge of the current grass. Get rid of the sea of asphalt and put down textured cement brick patterns, or sponsor brick-walks. Put picnic benches, park benches, coach statues, other attractive and functional decor. (and as noted, improve the lighting.)

Concessions:

Tear-out all the existing booths, use the space to improve tunnel traffic. Replace the booths with space available, depending on how the area under the stadium is used. Maybe build fewer, but larger, conventionally laid-out stands, akin to what you see at major movie theaters. Simplify the menus at the main stands. Use kiosks to feature specialty items, which also would help split traffic to all lines. Use video screens to cover on-field action for those in-line. Make payment methods universal to all booths and such.

Lounge boxes, and the press box:

Start with the east side. Tear-out the existing boxes and remove the structure from the stadium entirely. Build new boxes, with roofs level with the existing upper walk-way, and building them forward INTO the stadium. Construct new outdoor box seas, with steeper inclines, to fill the blank space below the window levels. Make these new boxes extend from the south to the north edge, rather than just the middle. Rebuild the elevator tower. Then repeat the same process with some changes, for the press box and lounges on the west side.

My thought is that if the old supports can't handle more structure, maybe it can manage less overall, lower down. Lower stadium lines could also make it possible to lower the light towers, but on the other hand, trying to do that, might re-open the case against being able to use then in the first place. Likely the existing lights may have to be replaced anyway, with light bars, or something conforming to FAA allowances.

Edge "cuts," underbelly, and main supports:

The stadium, as viewed from the south, looks exactly as it is: unfinished. Like somebody ran out of money decades ago. Surely something can be done to enhance the visual. The underside suffers from decades of neglect, rusting pipes, etc. Whatever is done, it needs a brighter, clean look. The main supports, which badly seem to need rehabilitation, should be fixed, and encased in a facade of brick and new, smooth, cement, to match the rest of campus, and give the building a sharper look. Tearing out office space, otherwise freeing area for concession stands, improved restrooms, etc, might be good.

Concourse:

I think one issue is the flow of car and support vehicle traffic into the stadium. If the main entrance were unified into the south side, the north east and west corners could be made into "loading docks" for food services, EMT, team, and TV trucks.

Restrooms:

I have no issues with the men's restrooms, somebody ask Flipper about the women's facilities. However, we could use some family restrooms, and not just for the UT football team to use.

South Endzone:

I like how the stadium is open to the south side, in that it is attractive to people passing through town. It is inviting during large events, like summer soccer gatherings when the athletics department is having a meet-the-team event. It really embraces the tailgate parties and such just outside. Adjustments are needed. They might do well to pave and decorate the rest of the oval up to the fence-line. Move the pedestrian path to eliminate the space between the Falcon Club tent and the endzone. This leaves ample space to create a grand "gateway," with ticket booths, entrance gates, etc. Some thought to concerts might be given to a revised layout.

Car Traffic:

The traffic flow with Stroh is not consistent with that for football. Rather than tote the temporary road signage with landscaped locations for permanent placements. Invest in proper road cones, gates, and buffers for Wooster, so traffic and better see what is happening, and where to go. The hodge podge of cones and "road closed" signs look like a poor high-school effort, and still don't stop people from nearly ramming through and over barriers and staffers. More cross-walks over Wooster, and sidewalks leading to them would improve traffic by channeling pedestrians.

Scoreboard:

Place and externally facing video screen, or year-round text scroll. That place is invaluable for promotion and otherwise.

Parking:

I do not see a need for 100% of the new grass lots ever being used now. What the last two seasons have illustrated, is that football does no need all of them. However most of my thoughts related to "Tent City."

Tent City:

Not really the stadium, but still a point needing work. In truth, I like the tent city being between Stroh and the Stadium, as opposed to the former east side lots. Having tailgaters, RVs, and more, closer to the stadium has actually improved gameday atmosphere. However the grassy areas are ill-equipped to handle the wear. Wider sidewalks, hard-wired electrical outlets, and maybe cement pads for tends and such, would help.

Concerts:

Some consideration has to be given to finding a way to handle concerts and events, while protecting the stadium turf.

Overall:

If they can't take care of most of these issues with the existing stadium structure, then maybe a tear-down is in order. I dislike asymmetrical stadiums, yet the west side is the clear historical favorite. DLP Stadium is the first place, alongside Stroh Center, which is seen from I-75 as most visitors arrive in BG, or pass it. It should be attractive, inviting, and give a strong message to prospective students, players, and visitors.

[NWLB]

If I remember my math classes, 1400 X $10.00 = 1000 X $14.00. I understand that no one can guarantee any numbers, but I think I'd rather have more people giving less money than fewer people giving more money. At least then they could justify to themselves treating fans as a second class source of income instead of as customers. Freddy, Freida, and Sic-Sic are all over the place greeting students and off-campus fans. Where are the AD, the Falcon Club director, or other BIG administrators? They certainly aren't schmoozing with the rest of us.

QFT.

I'll assume the math is right, I did get my degree in history, those numbers and such, not my thing.

I know people who actually avoided the EMU dollar day promotion because they were afraid they'd still have to pay $10 for parking. And in fact, I knew nothing of the event until spotting it on my non-iPad Samsung Galaxy 10.1 while eating breakfast. I refuse to watch local news/TV. I don't buy the ST for $.75, and read it online mostly. I honestly don't even visit BGSUfalcons.com often, and the mobile version isn't really ideal. However online is about the only way I follow BGSU anymore. I don't even watch cable sports at this point, if a game can be seen online.

[Flipper]

Do you honestly expect people to read all of that?

[BGFalconfromCincy]

Do you honestly expect people to read all of that?

I actually read the whole thing, I surprised myself big time

[Flipper]

well ok then...I stand corrected..

[Bubba Bo Bob Brain]

Restrooms:

I have no issues with the men's restrooms, somebody ask Flipper about the women's facilities. However, we could use some family restrooms, and not just for the UT football team to use.

Restrooms on the west side are nastier than you know. Whenever it rains, water drips down through the ceiling. The floors are not angled for the water to go directly do the drains, and so large puddles form. Rain water mixes with whatever didn't make it into the urinals and it gets just nasty in the guys' room.

Did they hire women custodians to take care of women's rooms, or do they still expect the men on grounds staff to wait for an opportunity to get into the women's restrooms to empty trash and restock supplies?

One of the biggest errors BGSU makes on a regular basis is building big and attractive facilities and then not keeping up on regular, scheduled, or preventative maintenance, so that things deteriorate before they should. This goes for both sides of Mercer Street.

An example less obvious to the average fan is the artificial turf on the football field. Administrators have confused "less maintenance" with "no maintenance", and, accordingly, do not have the field groomed as often as it should be to keep the "grass" from matting or the rubber pieces evenly laid. While the Stroh has a full staff including maintenance and custodial dedicated to the needs of the Stroh, staff for the outdoor sports has been reduced to one full time employee, two nine-month employees, and a few students, which is not enough to take care of any of the outdoor facilities properly. Obviously, they all aren't in season at the same time, but it's hardly the amount of staff necessary to service the playing fields with more than the minimum of basic requirements.

In spite of my having a big soapbox with a long rant, I'll step down since it's only slightly related to the dreams being expressed here. Suffice it to say that while they find funds to pay the larger salaries, they "cheap out" when it comes to taking care of their facilities.