big news in the Blade re: AA

[Schadenfreude]

BOWLING GREEN - A company has been named to conduct a feasibility study for a possible new convocation center in place of Anderson Arena at Bowling Green State University...

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 20/-1/NEWS

[orangeandbrown]

Schad, beat me to it by about one minute! This is big news. I have a lot of thoughts on this, the most prominent of which is that change is inevitable. My primary concern is that we were 12th in the MAC in attendance, but, as others have mentioned, maybe the arena plays a role in that.

[Schadenfreude]

Schad, beat me to it by about one minute!

Ha!

I'm glad to see they are looking at this. It's very exciting.

We need a better place to play basketball.

But I have so many reservations about building new or building bigger.

So many universities have overbuilt over the past few years. A prime example is Value City Arena, just a mile away from where I am typing at the moment.

It's not like I'm the deep pocket kind of guy that Paul Krebs needs to worry about.

But I'm really, really skeptical. I really hope BGSU can sell the community on the need to build new or bigger.

Because I'm not at all convinced right now.

[BleedOrange]

Our attendance is low, so justifying a larger arena is ostensibly harder. However, the diminutive nature of AA (not to mention its logistical inconveniences) shapes the perceptions that keep attendance low. Personally, I'm optimistic that a new arena, if planned correctly, will draw additional fans and upgrade the community's perception of our program.

[Rightupinthere]

What would the seating capacity HAVE to be to make this a feesible structure?

The only reason I ask is that we don't neccessarily have to shoot for a 6,000 to 9,000 seat structure. Or perhaps we do. I don't know the answer.

Interesting news. I can't say I'm overly excited about it (how many gyms do we need?), but if this enhances the overall image and respectability of BGSU then I'm on board.

[factman]

I was told by people "in the know", that a convocation center WILL be in the works before Ribeau retires, because it was on the board and he replaced it with the student union project, so he feels a responsibility to get it accomplished. This information comes from the development people for the university and athletic department.
Another project that is started, is building a lockerroom facility for baseball and softball. The plans should be finished for this project in the next few weeks, and fund raising efforts have already started.

[orangeandbrown]

RUIT, I don't know what to tell you expect that's the way they seem to go. Once you're digging the hole and building the building, there is some (perhaps false) economy in building it larger as opposed to normal size.

[Salsa]

Three points:

1-What does the feasibility study mean?

Does it mean that the decision to build a convocation center has already been made and that the feasibility study will concern costs, capacity, location, features, etc? Or does it mean that a study could recommend either for or against building a convocation center?

2-A convocation center will be more than a basketball arena.

This is why attendance at basketball games is only part of the story. The center will be used for other events. Enrollment (now over 20,000) and applications have been strong and it appears that educational quality, programs, and facilities are all growing. I think it would be shortsighted to build a convocation center of less than 8,000. Other MAC schools like NIU and CMU have built or are planning centers of around 8,000 to 10,000 and I think that sounds about right for BG.

3-"Building Dreams" fundraising campaign will officially launch on April 30.

I'm hoping that a convocation center will be part of this campaign. I'm hoping further that an announcement might be made soon of a major donor for a convocation center.

[orangeandbrown]

Three points:

1-What does the feasibility study mean?

Does it mean that the decision to build a convocation center has already been made and that the feasibility study will concern costs, capacity, location, features, etc? Or does it mean that a study could recommend either for or against building a convocation center?

"Feasability" studies almost always justify the intended direction of the sponsor. I've been involved with many (many) and that is how they go.

[BGFalcons232]

this has been tossed about in the athletic department for a long time now. part of the reason they feel there is low attendance at BB games, is that it is hard for the townies to get there. AA is well located for students, but the parking and accessibility for alums and townies is horrible.

one of the locations i've heard is by lot 6 (near the stadium). it would solve the parking problem with plenty of spots out there, and centralizes all the sports facilities in closer proximity.

[TG1996]

If they put an arena out by the football stadium, Frickers should drop some major sponsorship coin, with the extra 30 or 40 nights of "events next door" they'd be looking at.

[momtartin]

What would become of Anderson Arena though? Would they convert it to something else or destroy it? That would be a big hole in the middle of campus.

[It's the Journey...]

I cannot imagine the University tearing down Anderson Arena/Memorial Hall because of that reason. It is Memorial Hall, and the building that holds the arena is didicated to those members of the BGSU community that have fallen in war. I believe a retrofit for another purpose would happen.

[Strouse]

Just out of curiosity, but has anyone thought that it could be, in part, with the SAC, involving renovations to The Doyt?

[Schadenfreude]

What would become of Anderson Arena though? Would they convert it to something else or destroy it? That would be a big hole in the middle of campus.

Heck, when I was there during the early 1990s, the Eppler gyms were still in use (we played some intermural basketball in them, and they may have been used for select P.E. classes).

I'm sure Memorial Hall will continue to be used for something.

At Ohio State, I think the women play most of their basketball games at St. John's Arena as well as the volleyball team.

It is more appropriate than Value City Arena for the size of the crowds these sports get.

I could easily see the same uses for Anderson.

As far as this, from Salsa:

Does it mean that the decision to build a convocation center has already been made and that the feasibility study will concern costs, capacity, location, features, etc? Or does it mean that a study could recommend either for or against building a convocation center?

I'm not sure either exactly captures it.

The way I read the story, the university has given the firm a general idea of what it wants -- probably a location (or several), as well as the basic features expected.

I would expect the study to come back with some details, cost estimates, various scenarios for building (based on capacity, location and other variables) and questions for further study as well as some artists renderings that could get us excited.

But I don't think this is going to produce a firm blue print that could be handed to contractors.

Instead, I think the universty would have to settle on a next step. Possible next steps:

1. Do nothing (if the costs are way out of line with what was expected).
2. Strike out in another direction (if what the firm comes up with isn't really what the unversity originally had in mind).
3. Settle on a set of scenarios and commission a more firm plan that could be put up for bid to contractors, perhaps with some options still in play as the project goes to bid).

None of this negates what O&B said. I'm sure the university has a pretty good idea of where it wants to go. But it's a long distance from that to actually commissioning a new arena.