www.cmdgroup.com/.../1002130528/ (http://www.cmdgroup.com/.../1002130528/)
Paul
Won't open
http://www.cmdgroup.com/project-leads/sample-leads/2014/12/06/1002130528/ (http://www.cmdgroup.com/project-leads/sample-leads/2014/12/06/1002130528/)
Try this?
Paul
Or could this be renovation of the ARC?
Quote from: valpo64 on December 26, 2014, 12:02:54 PM
Or could this be renovation of the ARC?
Plans have always been to build the fieldhouse first then be able to move offices there so that the renovation can begin. Otherwise you'd have a bunch of coaches/athletes with no where to live/train etc.
Thanks vu72, that sure makes sense to me. Let's hope the sooner the better.
From the cdm site:
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Last Updated: 2014-12-8
Stage: Pre-design
Status: Proposed Pending Feasibility Study
Estimated Value: $2,100,000 (Historical Average)
$2.1 million only buys you a study these days. Plenty of paper, drawings and data files, but no facility for those dollars. But it's a start. Glad to see it.
Quote from: valpo64 on December 26, 2014, 12:02:54 PM
Or could this be renovation of the ARC?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Last Updated: 2014-12-8
Stage: Pre-design
Status: Proposed Pending Feasibility Study
Estimated Value: $2,100,000 (Historical Average)
PROJECT LOCATION
State: Indiana
County: Porter County
City: Valparaiso
Address: Site Selected Not Announced
PROJECT TYPE
Building Category: Gymnasiums
Work Type:
New
Great find....thanks 78. :thumbsup:
Seriously, it costs $2.1 million just for the study? That is absurd.
I wonder if they're thinking about something like this:
http://www.arizonstructures.com/air-structure-air-dome/sports-dome/indoor-track-multisport-dome/ (http://www.arizonstructures.com/air-structure-air-dome/sports-dome/indoor-track-multisport-dome/)
http://arizonstructures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Edinboro.pdf (http://arizonstructures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Edinboro.pdf)
It will be interesting to see the design of the field house, once decided. I still don't see how it costs $2.1 million to perform a study, but I guess that they have to analyze some of these questions:
How big will it need to be?
What sports will it support?
How much room for office space?
How many locker facilities?
Would it be wise to include swimming and diving in a move to the field house? (opens up space at the ARC for future renovation, and improves S&D recruiting potentially)
Operational cost per year?
etc.
What about all the pieces, glue, paint, and stickers or fake landscaping for the sales model of what the prospective building would look like, plus all the pizza and steak lunches/dinners to complete this project/study?
http://www.cmdgroup.com/project-leads/indiana/ (http://www.cmdgroup.com/project-leads/indiana/)
Considering the main list has a firehouse subs at $500,000 and a courthouse/jail listed as $10,499,000, I'm thinking that's the value of the project. Also, the Union is on there: http://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/college-university-miscellaneous/indiana/projects/150129588/ (http://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/college-university-miscellaneous/indiana/projects/150129588/) and it has a value of $40,000,000. I'm assuming the university didn't spend $40 million on a study.
That being said, it says "Valparaiso University Field House", which would imply a field house. $2 million would build you the landscaping and entryway.
VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY FIELD HOUSE $2.1 M
(http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/9350/dsc_4877.jpg)
SEEMS LEGIT
This is what I envision for the fieldhouse. This is the court inside my outer house.
(http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/ea6168a2d55d0ab57ef78812c3f00e0a2eb295aa/c=124-0-2020-1424&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/Indianapolis/Indianapolis/2014/07/16/1405539664000-BBall-Ct.jpg)
why is your jumbotron powered by candles
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on December 30, 2014, 10:21:15 PM
why is your jumbotron powered by candles
http://youtu.be/vQUQcAzAi3k
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on December 30, 2014, 10:21:15 PM
why is your jumbotron powered by candles
It was there first. It wasn't a basketball court until about 2004. If you don't throw up wild last second shots the ball hardly ever hits it. That is a picture from 2005. It doesn't look much like that today.
Quote from: bbtds on December 30, 2014, 11:03:16 PM
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on December 30, 2014, 10:21:15 PM
why is your jumbotron powered by candles
It was there first. It wasn't a basketball court until about 2004. If you don't throw up wild last second shots the ball hardly ever hits it. That is a picture from 2005. It doesn't look much like that today.
Is this in Indy?
Quote from: a3uge on December 30, 2014, 11:44:35 PM
Quote from: bbtds on December 30, 2014, 11:03:16 PM
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on December 30, 2014, 10:21:15 PM
why is your jumbotron powered by candles
It was there first. It wasn't a basketball court until about 2004. If you don't throw up wild last second shots the ball hardly ever hits it. That is a picture from 2005. It doesn't look much like that today.
Is this in Indy?
Technically it is in southwest Indianapolis, in Decatur Township by the Marion County/Johnson County line and also close to Hendricks County. When Indy and Marion County were merged (unigov) by then Mayor, and later Senator, Lugar, many parts of Marion County were fairly rural. So Indy city limits were extended out to the areas of Marion County that were unincorporated at that time. Here is what the area around my house looks like:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6389911,-86.3073843,3a,75y,180h,90t/data= (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6389911,-86.3073843,3a,75y,180h,90t/data=)!3m4!1e1!3m2!1shR8Fxvj86GoTTGQj9epglA!2e0
There is a corn field across the road from a subdivision. That is very typical of the farther out parts of Indy.
It's a long story but I was basically given the outer house by a neighbor because it was next to my property and decided to do something fun with it. Unfortunately my wife stores many things on one end of the court which doesn't get cleared off very often. Sometimes I decide to play some games with my sons (who no longer live in Indy) or we'll have a party which doesn't happen as often as I would like and we clear the junk, er..... I mean good belongings out.
wow. i'm sorry I ever doubted you...i figured you were just doing a GIS like usual.
congrats!
I cannot speak to the accuracy of the following, but according to poster ValpoFan on the Loyola to MVC message board topic, who heard President Heckler talking about building projects either underway or planned for Valpo......
Quote from: ValpoFan on December 30, 2014, 10:27:47 PM
Fwiw, I heard president Heckler recently talking about the chapel addition and the planned new science building being the last buildings to be erected in the foreseeable future. He mentioned that the new campaign includes no new buildings and will focus on growing the university endowment funds.He wisely said that the university facilities have grown a lot in the recent past and he wants to see the endowments grow accordingly to make sure that the university can keep up with the operation and maintenance costs of these new buildings.
That being said, if someone wants to donate $50M to build a rec center or arena, I'm sure president Heckler will be willing to listen ;D
With the proposed Fieldhouse in the pre-bid phase, given President Heckler's comments, not sure where that building and project stands. Sure doesn't bode well for any ARC renovations within the next 5 or so years, and probably longer. I'm all for building the endowment, but, I've heard repeatedly that the ARC renovation was coming in the reasonably near future. Heard that for the last decade or so. I guess my definition of near future (5 years or so) is way different than the BOD's or those in control of the pursestrings. Wish I had the 20+ million dollars to donate that it will probably take someday to renovate the ARC and bring it up to this century's typical arena standards. ??? :o
Happy New Year to all! May 2015 be a great year for Valpo athletics!!
A father and 2 sons are exclusively responsible for the success of the basketball program at Valparaiso University. It has succeeded despite the unwillingness by those in charge to move to the HL years before it did, squandering the opportunity to elevate the profile of the program in the aftermath of the sweet 16 run and "the shot" (brought to you exclusively by Homer and Bryce Drew). It has succeeded despite the deaf ear of the last administration to address Homer Drew's pleas to make critical facility needs to remain competitive. It has succeeded despite a lack of wealthy alumni that give a damn one way or the other about Valpo's flagship sport or it's value-add to the university's brand. It has succeeded despite multiple initiatives by the current administration to address "more critical" facility needs to the exclusion of upgrading the bb physical plant. Presumably, the administration assumes it will continue to succeed while it promotes yet another new initiative to build the endowment and while it continues to give non-committal lip service to addressing ARC facility needs.
What we have is a foundation built on sand. The day Bryce leaves the university will learn a hard lesson about the price of abuse. Without the Drew name and Bryce's ability to attract high profile recruits despite a woefully inadequate facility compared to our competition, we will begin in decline mode almost immediately. Within 3 or 4 years, those of us diehards still following the program will be posting our memories of the good times under a thread entitled "remember when..."
As one of our veteran posters would say, "Boook it!"
I just need to win the lottery since I've already got an agreement with my wife to donate $10mil to the university for the construction of the new Athletics and Recreation Center (I would stipulate that the building still be called the ARC and the floor be named for Homer Drew). The wife would want to include a natatorium to the building and have it named after her so it's the most difficult center for swimming to pronounce ever.
Building on wh's passionate comments, I would like to clarify the following in terms of where criticism might be laid or is not appropriate (in my opinion) on the university.
I am sure that I am missing some of the major capital improvement projects, but I will summarize the ones the I am familiar with:
-Expansion of engineering building - funded by donors directly contributing to the project
-New library - funded by donors directly contributing to the project
Both of these projects were desparately needed
-Buiding of a large new dorm in the middle of campus - as far as I know, this was funded by the university (i.e. from the Valpo fund). New dorms are deparately needed.
-Some dorm renovation - funded by the university. Desparately needed. Furthermore, older dorms need to be replaced or dramatically renovated.
-Building of a new student union with overall better meeting facilities. Pretty strong need and funded by the university.
That leaves two projects that, in my opinion, are highly questionable (and I make this point to attempt to support some of wh's arguments)
-Welcome Center on Rt. 30. What value does this bring to the university versus other options for spending the money? (admittedly, I am not totally sure where the money came from for this)
-Chapel Expansion. Very unnecessary compared to other needs. Putting aside the basketball stadium argument, several projects clearly should be a higher priority. 1. Dorm replacement or major remodeling, 2. Address the business building being way too small and vastly out-of-date, 3. an appropriate student recreation center.
The only way that a basketball stadium renovation and fieldhouse/student recreation center will happen is from a major private donor. My opinion is that the university will steer any major donors away from those programs towards their priorities, though the Caterpillar donation for the engineering building was never going to go anyplace else and I doubt that the Christopher family would have agreed to any other program than the library. wh's points are valid now that the university if moving beyond urgent projects and prioritizing less important "nice to haves".
Lastly, and unrelated to facilities but building off of wh's pleas, Valpo (like any other institution) is being irresponsible if they are not planning for how to replace Bryce Drew. None of us likely have any idea of what they may or may not be doing, but targeting individuals like Roger Powell or Greg Tonagel (or whomever is a good fit) is part of good executive leadership. Frankly, I would be VERY dissapointed if they did not implement a plan if and when Bryce decided to leave.
Quote from: vu84v2 on December 31, 2014, 05:08:08 PM
Building on wh's passionate comments, I would like to clarify the following in terms of where criticism might be laid or is not appropriate (in my opinion) on the university.
I am sure that I am missing some of the major capital improvement projects, but I will summarize the ones the I am familiar with:
-Expansion of engineering building - funded by donors directly contributing to the project
-New library - funded by donors directly contributing to the project
Both of these projects were desparately needed
-Buiding of a large new dorm in the middle of campus - as far as I know, this was funded by the university (i.e. from the Valpo fund). New dorms are deparately needed.
-Some dorm renovation - funded by the university. Desparately needed. Furthermore, older dorms need to be replaced or dramatically renovated.
-Building of a new student union with overall better meeting facilities. Pretty strong need and funded by the university.
That leaves two projects that, in my opinion, are highly questionable (and I make this point to attempt to support some of wh's arguments)
-Welcome Center on Rt. 30. What value does this bring to the university versus other options for spending the money? (admittedly, I am not totally sure where the money came from for this)
-Chapel Expansion. Very unnecessary compared to other needs. Putting aside the basketball stadium argument, several projects clearly should be a higher priority. 1. Dorm replacement or major remodeling, 2. Address the business building being way too small and vastly out-of-date, 3. an appropriate student recreation center.
The only way that a basketball stadium renovation and fieldhouse/student recreation center will happen is from a major private donor. My opinion is that the university will steer any major donors away from those programs towards their priorities, though the Caterpillar donation for the engineering building was never going to go anyplace else and I doubt that the Christopher family would have agreed to any other program than the library. wh's points are valid now that the university if moving beyond urgent projects and prioritizing less important "nice to haves".
Lastly, and unrelated to facilities but building off of wh's pleas, Valpo (like any other institution) is being irresponsible if they are not planning for how to replace Bryce Drew. None of us likely have any idea of what they may or may not be doing, but targeting individuals like Roger Powell or Greg Tonagel (or whomever is a good fit) is part of good executive leadership. Frankly, I would be VERY dissapointed if they did not implement a plan if and when Bryce decided to leave.
The Welcome Center and the Chapel addition were donor-funded projects. The Duesenbergs donated to the Welcome Center, and the Chapel addition was funded by the Helges. You also left out the badly-needed major construction in the Arts & Sciences building that replaced Huegli Hall. In addition, major construction will soon begin on the new sorority building, while Scheele will be renovated, and a new science building. As has been mentioned, the new track will host its first meet in April and the Horizon League championships in 2016. There have been a number of recent improvements to athletic facilities, such as the weight room, and some are in progress or will be beginning, influencing softball, tennis, baseball, etc. Finally, the university is not going to leave empty the hospital space purchased. Building of a new fieldhouse is already in the planning stage, which will make renovation of the ARC possible, perhaps the way Loyola renovated the Gentile Center, which would be an ideal model for Valpo.
As for coaching decisions, I have confidence in Mark LaBarbera.
Quote from: valpopal on December 31, 2014, 06:20:47 PMFinally, the university is not going to leave empty the hospital space purchased.
Why not? It's been empty for how long now? The area where the chapel was built was a farmer's field before and from the chapel all the way over to Sturdy sat vacant for 10 to 20 years.
Quote from: bbtds on December 31, 2014, 11:12:02 PM
Quote from: valpopal on December 31, 2014, 06:20:47 PMFinally, the university is not going to leave empty the hospital space purchased.
Why not? It's been empty for how long now? The area where the chapel was built was a farmer's field before and from the chapel all the way over to Sturdy sat vacant for 10 to 20 years.
I guess the fact that they connected the parking garage and haven't made the empty space a parking lot shows there's some sort of plan for the area.
A fieldhouse is going to require massive capital, and, like dorms, it's not something alumni are all that interested in. The welcome center costs a fraction of what a giant fieldhouse would cost. It took 20 some years to find a donor for a track, so I think a project like a new fieldhouse is still down on the totem pole. While the new adminstration has been significantly better than the old administration with athletics, expecting a $25-$30 million athletics center in the next couple of years is probably going to lead to disappointment.
The most difficult part of getting athletic alumni excited about a fieldhouse is that most of the sports using the fieldhouse for competition or practice are the non-revenue sports. It's hard to get those teams excited when none of their alums went professional in their sport. I'd love to have the fieldhouse because of the economic boom it could provide for more youth sports rental and AAU uses it would have in the summer, instead of being an empty building for three months, it would get used regularly in the summer, as much as it would during the academic year. I look more at the economic boom aspect, more than the excitement of it making the ARC more of an arena, rather than an over-sized high school gym.
I just got an email from an athletic fundraisier. It was in response to a question concerning the possible fund raising for the fieldhouse, which, as has been said before, must be done before an over haul of the ARC could take place.
He said that fund raising for the fieldhouse can't start until design work is complete so they know what they need. The design work has started but is in the very early stages. Still, it is underway, as verified by the bid that 78 found.
72, is John Kuka coming out to meet with you as well, when in DFW next week?
Quote from: valpotx on January 16, 2015, 02:08:15 AM
72, is John Kuka coming out to meet with you as well, when in DFW next week?
He did contact me but I'm totally slammed the two days when he had time.
Attached is a picture of the University of Dubuque Wellness Center/Fieldhouse, which was designed by Hastings & Chivetta, architects for the new VU science building that will be going up soon. I thought that if UD, which has a student enrollment of 1400, can have this type of building, then maybe we could too. I hope our administration has feels the same way.
Paul
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2u9obhy.jpg)
Here is the inside of the UD Wellness Center/Fieldhouse:
Paul
(http://i57.tinypic.com/bgz68p.jpg)
What was the price tag?
Let's compare:
UD
D-III
1400 students
Endowment - $76,000,000 (2013)
VU
D-I
4000 students
Endowment - $202,000,000 (2014), $176,000,000 (2013)
Yeah, we can afford it.
Construction Cost: $17 million
http://www.athleticbusiness.com/project-440.html (http://www.athleticbusiness.com/project-440.html)
Cost includes football stadium reconfiguration and expansion of concessions stands, a press box, ticket booths and the presidential suite. The suite offers views of Dubuque's rolling landscape in all directions and also serves as a meeting room. The two-story press box and suites rise above the bleachers, mimicking building forms seen throughout campus. The football field received new lighting, synthetic turf, an outdoor track and visitor seating.
University of Duwhat?
Sent from my XT1095 using Tapatalk
It's beautiful and as the article points out is much more than just a field house. My own thought is that we should do almost the exact thing except make Brown Field the soccer/track/lacrosse complex and the east side of the field house becomes a new integrated stadium and press box/ entertainment suite with a 6000 seating capacity for football. The playing field would then have a north/south alignment as a football field should be. All the Brown Field/Horger Track infrastructure remains unchanged (accept that the main grand stand might be downsized a bit and the north (visitors) side would get moved over to the new visitors side of the football stadium. The 30 year plan left Brown Field alone and called for a new soccer stadium in the spot I am referring to.
Dream on!
Love the idea! :thumbsup:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_non-football_programs
Dump football, build a legitimate arena for bb and put the savings into a top notch engineering & science curriculum...Seems easy to me
Quote from: VU72too on September 09, 2015, 02:18:06 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_non-football_programs
Dump football, build a legitimate arena for bb and put the savings into a top notch engineering & science curriculum...Seems easy to me
Disagree on four levels.
1) Valpo is never going to build an arena. Why? Because a dedicated arena would be wasted money. Valpo desperately needs a full facility field house for all the other sports AND for student recreation. Right now, that is woefully lacking. An arena would not serve that purpose (check out what has happened at Wright State and their arena). And secondly the ARC was designed to be renovated and expanded to the north to provide BOTH an exciting and appealing BB venue as well as a multi-activity team facility.
2) A field house and associated facilities that all students can use is a greater attraction to prospective students than an arena. Which would spur increased applications? A basketball arena or a multi-function field house that the average students could see themselves using on a regular basis?
3) Football is part of the Valpo DNA and there is a commitment to it being apart of the overall campus environment. It is a program that is in balance with the overall mission of the school
AND it brings in 100 tuition-paying men to the campus (check the ratio, 72too, we are still a female majority campus). Drop FB and the balance skews further. BTW - The most sought after major right now is nursing (22%). Engineering? 5%
4) Valpo has already earmarked funding for building expansion for the sciences. Phase one (Chemistry) is already started.
Engineering? 5%
I feel like an outsider in the Valpo world.
I still have dream of Valpo Hockey...and the Chicagoland area has a need for this. Valpo is too frugal and too conservative to take such a risk.
Yeah. Because of the rink, 30 games, and equipment it can be costly. That's why I like lacrosse. Brings in more students (45-50 vs. 25-30 for hockey), only 14 games, equipment costs are lower and the facility (Brown Field) is already there. Plus it would not impact Title IX because if you start lacrosse you do both men's and women's.
62 - nice idea on LaCrosse, but not visionary enough for Valpo and Chicagoland. Hockey is growing in popularity in the US and currently huge in Chicagoland.
Quote from: usc4valpo on September 09, 2015, 10:16:33 PM
62 - nice idea on LaCrosse, but not visionary enough for Valpo and Chicagoland. Hockey is growing in popularity in the US and currently huge in Chicagoland.
Without a major donor, Valpo isn't going to spend millions of dollars on a rink for a team that doesn't even exist. It doesn't matter how popular hockey is, or will be in 5 years. Valpo has a hard enough time staying at the top of the league in terms of basketball spending, and Valpo is located in basketball-crazy Indiana. There's no way a hockey arena would even remotely generate enough revenue to justify millions spent on it.
If Valpo added hockey, you would still have the opportunity to be Title IX compliant, since there are men and women's divisions...
Yes, you're correct Tex, but that means doubling high equipment, arena and travel costs and scheduling ~30-34 games (not including conference championships and NCAA) for each team. The collegiate season is painfully long and starts the first week in October and extends through the third week in March. Players would start practicing when school opens in September and finally take their skates off after spring break. Lacrosse can more easily support both teams from those perspectives. And we would be required to be D-I. Detroit's MLAX schedule (they have WLAX as well), for example, lists 13 games starting in February and ending late April - 6 games were home, 3 of which were played indoors in February. Their 14th game was a first round loss in the MAC LAX Tournament April 30th. There are 69 D-I MLAX teams. The closest D-I LAX program is, again, UND with Marquette, Michigan, Ohio State, Detroit next closest.
These are the D-I hockey schools in the midwest. Note that even the B1G has only 8 of its 14 schools playing hockey. The closest D-I opponent would be Notre Dame (Hockey East) the only other D-I hockey playing school in Indiana or Illinois, then Western Michigan (NCHC)
NCHC
Colorado College
Denver
Miami
Minnesota-Duluth
Nebraska-Omaha
North Dakota
St. Cloud State
Western Michigan
WCHA
Alabama-Huntsville
Alaska
Alaska-Anchorage
Bemidji State
Bowling Green
Ferris State
Lake Superior
Michigan Tech
Minnesota State
Northern Michigan
Big Ten
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Ohio State
Penn State
Wisconsin
#62: Sorry I misstated the arena. I agree with a Fieldhouse approach. More benefits for an entire student body. I do disagree with the FB DNA...it's costly and likely hasn't carried the load budget wise for decades. Many progressive schools have figured this out. Lacrosse (not in Wisc.) is a great and growing sport that can add the male/female athletes as well cost effectively. I'm sure there are also other things to interest students for 5 Saturdays a year!
Lastly, adding football isn't going to increase enrollment in the sciences and engineering, quality facilities and faculty will. I don't recall many FB players in the science or engineering labs. And oh, by the way, women are permitted to enroll in science and engineering programs and will if the programs are top notch, not just nursing... it is after all 2015, not 1950...Just sayin'
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 09, 2015, 07:57:18 PMWhich would spur increased applications?
A couple of sweet sixteen's for the basketball team. After increased applications come increased campus visits before decision - this is where the fieldhouse and campus vision will be important.
Quote from: VU72too on September 10, 2015, 09:50:19 AM
#62: Sorry I misstated the arena. I agree with a Fieldhouse approach. More benefits for an entire student body. I do disagree with the FB DNA...it's costly and likely hasn't carried the load budget wise for decades. Many progressive schools have figured this out. Lacrosse (not in Wisc.) is a great and growing sport that can add the male/female athletes as well cost effectively. I'm sure there are also other things to interest students for 5 Saturdays a year!
Lastly, adding football isn't going to increase enrollment in the sciences and engineering, quality facilities and faculty will. I don't recall many FB players in the science or engineering labs. And oh, by the way, women are permitted to enroll in science and engineering programs and will if the programs are top notch, not just nursing... it is after all 2015, not 1950...Just sayin'
Well, I had some time on my hands so decided to check. First let me say that lacrosse isn't going to help the male/female ratio. Adding a men's team would require, most likely, adding a female team. The men's team isn't going to be 100 in number. So I looked at the roster and found 97 with declared majors. Of those, the most popular was Business (accounting, marketing, Finance)at 31. Next was Engineering at 26, followed by Exercise science at 10. I found 12 other areas of study including 6 in biology, 4 in pre-med and 2 in nursing areas. These are smart kids. I also found it interesting that the team hails from 20 different states. This helps spread the word about Valpo. Don't underestimate this when it comes to recruiting.
Not sure about the comment about women in sciences and engineering. They can enroll in those fields all they want. Having 26 more engineering students wouldn't happen if we had a lacrosse team.
Quote from: VU72too on September 10, 2015, 09:50:19 AMI don't recall many FB players in the science or engineering labs.
Uh, the previous dean of engineering was a football player.
Didn't mean to slight Dean Krueger...
Football complex for 6000? Why on earth? Avg. attendance is < 2400 Build it an they will come?
Valpo HS draws more
VU72: How are things on the southshore? Big game at 'boro tonight
Quote from: VU72too on September 10, 2015, 12:38:34 PM
Didn't mean to slight Dean Krueger...
Football complex for 6000? Why on earth? Avg. attendance is < 2400 Build it an they will come?
Valpo HS draws more
VU72: How are things on the southshore? Big game at 'boro tonight
Pretty sure he was speaking of Dean Craig O. Not sure about the southshore. Not much water here in Dallas!
South Shore and 'boro references might be to my (not 72's) old address in Mass (now living in warmer ;) Wisconsin ) and the Pats-Steelers game tonight?
The current announced capacity of Brown Field is 5,000 (including the "1500" seats on the visitor side). Why not add a few more seats while we're building is all I'm saying. Those visitor bleachers would be moved to the new site and count as part of the total. I'm also an optimist by nature (see Avatar) and as Valpo improves in football and starts winning consistently, along with the proposed increase in enrollment, it is not unrealistic to foresee greater attendance. I know this is not the 60s or even the 90s, but Brown Field in the past regularly saw crowds of over 6,000 on rickety wooden bleachers and the since replaced home stands. Right now our venue, though greatly improved by the new track and fencing, etc., is the worst in the PFL (even Davidson's Richardson Stadium has a 6,000 capacity). I'm thinking (while remembering that many D-III facilities make Valpo's pale in comparison) that if we purport to be a D-I program, we need to reflect that in our facilities. The same argument has been advanced for the ARC many times, and I completely agree with that too.
Renovate the ARC before Brown Field, that is a no brainer. Basketball is the cash cow at Valpo.
Brown is done -- except for maybe better fencing and lighting, but those are not high priority. I believe that what some have said is that in order to renovate the ARC, they first have to build the field house so they can move affected teams and offices, etc. out there in order to do the reconstruction. I've always had a question about that.
Why can't it be done in stages?
First stage - the arena: Build an addition (shown on the 30 year plan) on the north wall to (1) open that up for more seating (actually not that much seating overall because by doing so more chair backs could be added to the lower bowl). (2) Move and expand the concessions in the new addition. (3) Add more lavatories as well as (4) construct a new and greatly expanded full service training and rehab area underneath (I talked with Rod last fall -- they are overcrowded and in bad shape what with the athletic population growing.) That first stage could be built totally independent of current activity/game schedules in the ARC while school is in session. Visitors to the ARC wouldn't notice a thing inside UNTIL... the summer before the next school year WHEN... the upper wall between the arena and the new addition is taken down, heretofore blocked passageways to the new addition are opened and the new seating, including another student section on the east baseline, is installed in the lower bowl and second floor of the new addition. That new second floor would provide one more gym/activity area behind movable bleacher seating.
Second Stage: Then (or simultaneously or slightly thereafter) (2a) build the field house complex discussed in previous posts, (2b) then temporarily relocate what has to be relocated there to finish the other ARC improvements as well as permanently relocate what/who will remain in the field house going forward and finally...
Third Stage: Finish the rest of the ARC renovations completely and move back what/who needs to come back.
The Brown Field complex needs bathrooms. It's unacceptable to have to use the ones in the ARC - which are so full during halftime that people AND players are lined around the door towards the arena.
If something as minor as that can't get accomplished, what makes anyone think Valpo can successfully pull off a) the construction of a new athletics facility b) a major renovation of its existing building?
It's a combination of not having any alumni who are/were superstars in their respective sports (like a Draymond Green at Michigan State), not receiving state money, and being a part of a University that is completely indifferent towards athletics.
Valpo went how long without a track, after it was in some sort of written "plan"?
The writing is on the wall - there's no money.
Temporary remediation plan: 6 porta-potties under the grandstand. No, really, Vinny. That was something else I was wondering about. It's a long walk to the ARC (especially late in the season when the weather and the aluminum bleachers get cold) and standing in line is no fun.
This is the front view of the Allen Athletic Center at Wabash College. I'm not going to flood this board with pictures of fieldhouses at other schools, but I thought I'd post this one to give us an idea (1) of what VU should strive for when we build our fieldhouse, and (2) what VU is competing against. This building was also designed by Hastings & Chivetta, the architectural firm hired by VU for the new science building.
Paul
(http://i60.tinypic.com/14idjf5.jpg)
The cost, by the way, was 15.4 million.
Paul
The Wabash facilities web page says $20MM, but what's a few mil. What wasn't mentioned was when the Allen was completed to give us a sense of whether it was 2005 dollars or 2014 dollars. Chatted with MLB who was familiar with the U of D Field house discussed earlier and he cautioned that their $18MM was in 2008 dollars. LESSON: the longer Valpo waits the more expensive it's gonna be and I'm thinking construction cost inflation moves at a faster pace than general inflation rates (no evidence, just gut feeling). We're losing ground through inaction.
So, right now, forgetting varsity athletes for a moment, what does the university provide all 4000 students in the form of available recreation and fitness?
Hilltop and the ARC -- already overcrowded and with most D-I sports having year-round programs going and fighting for scheduled times and locker space, the average student has limited access to the floor space and weight rooms on a day-to-day basis. There is a "track" around the main floor, but limited locker/shower space for non-team members.
Hoger Track -- finally a place to run recreationally outdoors, but then comes winter.
Fitness Center -- Some nice weight training and CV machines - no changing facilities that I am aware of from the university writeup
What would a typical field house add/replace for the general student and faculty population? 4 indoor tennis/basketball courts inside a 6-lane 200meter indoor track. Perhaps racquetball/handball courts. Possibly consolidated (from Hilltop) and expanded student C-V and weight training and fitness room to replace the current building. Student changing facilities. [Added 9/14 ..... And studios for scheduled sessions like spinning, aerobics, yoga, pilates, etc.]. Varsity teams would be scheduled into the facility of course, but both the Hilltop/ARC and the field house would not be overcrowded nor over booked and there would be plenty of scheduled open time in both places for student recreation and fitness pursuits. I would think a segment of prospective applicants would look favorably at this as added value for their educational investment and an added incentive to enroll. In other words, it might have a positive impact on what ValeOParadise found when responding to the US News rankings -- that only 18% of accepted students had Valpo as first choice.
I did not know that Valpo was so strapped for cash.
Hi # 62..sorry to hear you left for balmy Wisc. It was a "wicked bad" one last year...like your staged approach, but the other physical plant bldgs. need help too...Seems like other private schools can command higher tuition and fees and still draw well (students and athletes). If the facilities and faculty are top notch the kids and parents will be glad to come up with the cash. We sent 4 through college (none at VU) and paid the price (no aid). It was worth it as they all have great careers. Not an easy answer to any of this.
My son and family live in Chestnut Hill, so I know what I escaped. I was on campus Saturday and slowly drove around and took it all in under a sunny sky (in the morning at least). It looks great. A very appealing campus and getting better yearly. The ground is broken for both the sorority housing and the Chemistry building that will add to the appeal. Like many on the forum, seeing the stark gray stone on the chapel addition did nothing for me, but the structural design and lines got my :thumbsup:.
Back a few years, the university recognized the need for the Harre Union as a part of enhancing student life on campus. It's working, but there is more to do. We already have a very good academic reputation. And yes, the university needs to continue to expand its academic infrastructure. But to compete in today's educational marketplace, the things that contribute to a great student life experience outside the classroom cannot be constantly postponed either. Now that the union is done, IMO the next stage in getting there should be that field house and dorm renovation/construction, in that order -- but, then, I am a superficial guy (facilities impress me) and I lean heavily toward athletics and recreation/fitness by nature.
I just received the "Summer" issue of Valpo Magazine. On page 8 was a full page rendering of the February 14, 1948 "Valparaiso University Bulletin of Alumni News." [Sorry Couldn't find a link on the Valpo website for the Valpo mag picture.]
The headline reads ALUMNI START FUND FOR FIELDHOUSE MARCH FIRST (The article beneath a drawing of the proposed field house reads as follows:)
The field house, pictured above is the project for the VU Alumni Fund that starts on March 1. As shown here, the field house is 300 feet wide and 400 feet long. It will be the first of three contemplated units in the complete athletic plant
Capacity of the field house is not given but it is expected to be several times that of the present gymnasium. [Hilltop] No structural plans have been drawn since the building is still in the drawing stage and subject to slight change in design.
The wooden floor in the field house will be dismountable and an inside track will circle the floor area. It will be possible to schedule several into-mural games for the same time since the floor markings and moveable baskets will make up three basket ball courts.
The alumni fund, not a drive or campaign, will be completely alumni-operated and will be an annual affair. Emphasis will be placed on the number of alumni participating. Complete details are given on page two. [there is no page 2]
OK. Where'd the :censored: money go?
If the Alumni are handling funding for the Fieldhouse, does that mean renovations to the ARC are next on the agenda and could get started sooner than we thought?
(Unless you were kidding) This was from 1948. And it never happened.
I see several smaller schools that are able to support the same amount of sports as Valpo, as well as scholarship football. I would love to us in the Valley for all sports someday. Maybe when we get to 6,000 undergrads?