It depends on which side of campus you are talking about with ……
😂🥶😂🥶 Reminds me of the trek from Wehrenberg to Old Campus (especially in January 1963 when there was NOTHING built between there and the Chapel and Library) 15-20 of the coldest minutes I’ve been in in my life.
But I digress. For a campus-accessible walk (inside 20 minutes) to an event center that is also close to the city downtown, either the Porter or East Gate locations meet that requirement.
And a second digression. For as long as I can remember (6 decades) there has always been a town/gown split that always confused me. But, a campus-close, multi-purpose, event center done in collaboration with the city could be a colossal win-win for both and bring both closer together. The event influx of money to restaurants and hotels alone would be significant for the community economy, not to mention the positive PR for the city as well as the university.
Going back to the original topic at hand. I see the bears moving to Northwest Indiana as nothing but a win for the city of valparaiso and the university. Lots of hotels in the area of Valpo and lots of access to areas like hard Rock casino. Especially if they get the nictd to end up investing in another branch of the train. That would have to be top of the docket for the potential bears stadium in Griffith/Gary. Need to have some sort of public transit option, which would likely not stop at the stadium itself and extend all the way into Hobart and eventually terminate in the Valparaiso like was originally intended before monon outbid Valpo for a rail extension. Most people whom have looked into potential rail extensions for the south shore into Valpo have lines terminating on university property. My original comment about the McGill plot was, as I've said only in relation to the city already putting major investment money into the property and it being a sizable chunk of land to build off of. There is obviously many other choices for something akin to a multi -purpose, Civic Center or pavilion type build. But all of that does Bank on someone convincing a legal body. That college sports is professional sports, which in my opinion is not too far off of an idea to have. I would definitely consider it if/when things get on more stable ground and Konkol has some room to do what he thinks needs to be done. As for right here right now. Just sit and bide time as well as make minor improvements to what is already under control and secure more key sponsors and donations. Which has actually been a shining light of the athletic dept under Hosmer.
Of course, this also does Bank on Kevin Warren not being disingenuous and claiming that it was not for leverage opening the door to Northwest Indiana. As others have said it is from a purely business standpoint. A better move for the bears to move across the state line than it is to move to Arlington heights or stay in Chicago. They are are set on funding. A stadium themselves. In Indiana offering them tax breaks and much needed infrastructure upgrades would be a great sell. From what I know, they are currently drafting their proposal to the bears now in convincing them to build off of the hard Rock property in Griffith/ Gary.
Now back to the topic discussed. MY current understanding is that if the athletic dept wants to do anything meaningful, it will be to the ARC. That is not to say that the city could approach, but as it stands now. Their focus is on the buildings the school already has. I would actually be more interested, from a personal standpoint, to see some analysis as to what is a cheaper option. ARC overhaul + new student rec Center, or a new multi-purpose Civic Pavilion and leave the ARC as is.
I also think that East Gate, if we are going to cover all bases, is a DOA endeavor. East Gate is, simply put, too far away from everything. It is on the edge city limits (albeit it is actually in the western most portion of City Council District 1), and is basically its own island in the campus. Not to mention the small residential development that sits in between sturdy and East Gate. It is why that piece of land is on the school's for sale list anyway IMOP. To do any meaningful improvements to that area of land would require investment into infrastructure upgrades to support such investment (A bridge across sturdy as well as parking and road upgrades as it sits next to a stop light at a major US highway). Heck, before they invested a major chunk of money into the field and the clubhouse. I would have suggested abandoning Bauer Field altogether as its location is quite terrible. There is still a largely abandoned soccer/track stadium listed as "intramural fields" on the east gate property making Baseball a sort of red headed step child over on its little island.
The court is the same everywhere... when struggling to get 2k fans why would you rent a 5k arena? UIC has a beautiful stadium that is 90% empty.
@valpodad Despite having arguably worse attendance problems than Valpo. UIC makes a boatload of money off of the pavilion through the other events that are held on that site. That would be a major reason to do your own construction. Partnering with the city would likely lead to either reduced or waived rental costs. The big reason for having a fancy house however is recruitmwnt and practices. There are a lot of sports and rec activities that have to fight for their share of the ARC. Having another location for either rec sports or games/ practices alleviates some of that pressure
It seems news about a potential bear stadium in Northwest Indiana has ramped up. The bears have now sent trucks to drill south of Wolf lake for a potential stadium site in Hammond. So now the city of Gary plus the state of Indiana and the state of Illinois plus the city of Chicago are in a three-headed race to see who gets to be the home of the bears
https://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_872031b4-e446-46f2-8987-f68d5c2cc2c7.html
Having another location for either rec sports or games/ practices alleviates some of that pressure
Hilltop is the main practice facility for men's and women's basketball.
