BSFS Expansion Thread

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http://www.themercury.com/k-statesports/article.aspx?articleId=14dae029556c4c0bac1c0478ce1b27a8

June 26, 2011 12:00 AM

Currie: Football stadium renovation key to KSU's image
Cole Manbeck [email protected]

When John Currie visited Texas Tech's football stadium in the fall of 2009, the renovations done to Jones SBC Stadium caught the attention of the Kansas State athletic director.

"I enjoyed the tour to see what they've done at Texas Tech," Currie said Thursday when speaking to the Rotary Club in Manhattan. "It's really remarkable."

Texas Tech completed a $51.9 million project on a new 175,000 square-foot press box in 2003, which included luxury suites, club seating and decks for TV cameras and the press.

College football stadiums that have undergone renovations to their press boxes among other things in recent years is of high interest to K-State, as it prepares for a future overhaul on the west side of LHC Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

In May, K-State sent out a commencement for the selection process for architectural services for a $60 million project centered around the replacement of the west side press box, along with restrooms and concessions.

K-State has yet to make an announcement on its selected architecture firm. But The Mercury has learned that the university is expected to hire Populous, which built the east side upper deck of LHC Bill Snyder Family Stadium - a project completed in 1999. Populous also designed the basketball practice facility that is currently under construction. It will be finished in the spring of 2012.

What remains to be seen is the design for the football project.

Whether Texas Tech's renovated stadium will be something K-State tries to mold its renovations after isn't known. Currie presented power-point slides to the rotary club, showcasing other stadiums that have recently undergone large-scale projects that included, in addition to Texas Tech: Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium, Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium, Wake Forest's BB&T Field, Oklahoma State's Boone Pickens Stadium, Arkansas' Razorback Stadium and Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium, which opened in 2009.

•Virginia Tech underwent a $52 million project to its press box, which began in 2004 and was completed by 2006.
•Purdue had a $70 million renovation beginning in 2001, which included demolishing the press box and building a new one.
•Wake Forest, where Currie went to college, built a new $48 million press box called the Deacon Tower. It was completed in 2008.
•Prior to the 2001 season, Arkansas completed a $110 million project that included the expansion to its press box along with the addition of luxury suites.
•From 2003-04, Oklahoma State underwent phase one of its seven-year, three-phase project, which featured a new press box.
•Minnesota built a brand new stadium that opened in 2009. The project cost $288 million.

"If you look through and see Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, little old Wake Forest, University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Purdue -you have institutions that are like K-State in academic mission and heritage," Currie said.

Currie touched on Texas Tech more than the others. He talked about a story told to him by the man giving him a tour of the renovated stadium when he was in Lubbock in 2009. The man told Currie that the Red Raiders' administration was impressed with K-State's facilities when they played the inaugural Big 12 football game in Manhattan in 1996.

"The guy that was showing us around said when we came to K-State in 1996 to play the first Big 12 football game, we were absolutely blown away at how far ahead K-State was and how far behind we were," Currie recalled. "I'm gonna tell you that people in the Big 12 over the last 10 or 15 years - they have aspired to catch up to K-State. And over the last 5 to 10 years there are a bunch that have caught up and they've ran past us.

"It's not the end of the world. But the facility part is critically important. You look around the country and you see significant leaps forward."

Currie said the football stadium is a key representation of the university, so it's important to make it something that will leave a lasting impression in people's eyes.

"The first impression matters," he said. "Look at the west side of the stadium - it rocketed K-State ahead (when the press box was built). When somebody drives down Kimball (Avenue) and drives past that parking lot on the way to town or campus - they don't see Anderson Hall, they don't see Hale library, they see (the football stadium). It's been awful good for us, but we've got to change the impression of what we look like as a university."

Making improvements becomes even more critical with the new TV deal the Big 12 has signed. Every football game will soon be televised. Therefore, it's important to enhance the stadium, not only to showcase a more modern stadium to potential recruits watching from their couches at home, but also to keep people coming to the games.

"We have to add better fan amenities," Currie said. "We've got the same restrooms since 1968, the same concession stands on the west side that have been used for a long, long time.

"Every single game in the Big 12 is going to be on television. That's good news, which means every single Saturday there's going to be a good reason for somebody to sit on their couch and watch it on TV rather than making the effort to get in their car and come to our games. So we've got to upgrade our fan amenities - seating, restroom and accessibility for every single fan as we go forward on our stadium.

Bathrooms to be designed in limestone

Currie said the exterior of the bathrooms currently being constructed on the east side upper deck of the football stadium will be clad in Kansas limestone.

"We'll look better on that side of the stadium and it will show a little bit more of our heritage," he said.

Current Responses
All ready selected??

http://www.themercury.com/view/ForumTopic.aspx?discussionId=e1f450f21b8249edb92d10c7cdcc3623&sectionId=_Global/Article%20Forums

All ready selected??    (suggest removal of this post)
6/27/2011 12:00:00 AM

Interesting to know the architect has all ready been selected since the interviews are this week. I am sure the AIA would be interested to see K-State's process.

This discussion is in response to the article titled Currie: Football stadium renovation key to KSU's image

Posted By: tobialex

[sonofdaxjones]

 

[Boakai]

I've talked with more people about this at K-State over the last few days and I'll reiterate this, reversing course at the 11th hour was not what they wanted to do, but felt it was necessary to avoid possible litigation stemming from the article.

All Cole had to do was come out and say that his source was just some speculating rube with no actual connections.

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some speculating rube with no actual connections.

probably one of the poon bros (hound, lagoon, etc.)

[hemmy]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

[5601js]

So KSU had to change course because of an article based on an insider's leak of sensitive info? Gee, that's so shocking.

[WillieWatanabe]

goddamnit cole.

[Trim]

Manbeck should just post here and set all our stats, STRAIGHT.

[wetwillie]

So if I'm to understand this correctly, a school of thought exists that essentially says manbeck had a its patterson type moment and accidentally torpedoed a firms bid for the westside project?

[kougar24]

I've done some renderings that would blow your guys mind. No stadiums though.

Maybe not your mind. Definitely Kougar's though.

Hey, isn't it that time of the year where you slop together a basketball court photoshop?

nope, it's not.

[MobDeep]

Can we get one of these?
 

[Pete]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

[sys]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

[Trim]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

[EMAWgeddon]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

[Trim]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

Even the largest counsel of attorneys can be of the pussy variety.

[Kat Kid]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

When you had your personal sitdown with Schulz, did EPAW come up?  Follow up.  How loaded are you?  Last one.  After 10-15 years accumulating even greater wealth will you become a goEMAW benefactor wearing snow leopard shawls over your purple silk cocktail dress and white gloves puffing off a smoking holder?

Big fan.  I'll listen off the air.

[Trim]

Manbeck should just post here and set all our stats, STRAIGHT.

Trim, EMAWgeddon, C_Manbeck and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

 

[EMAWgeddon]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

When you had your personal sitdown with Schulz, did EPAW come up?  Follow up.  How loaded are you?  Last one.  After 10-15 years accumulating even greater wealth will you become a goEMAW benefactor wearing snow leopard shawls over your purple silk cocktail dress and white gloves puffing off a smoking holder?

Big fan.  I'll listen off the air.

1. Unfortunately, EPAW did not come up.  Huge regret. Big missed opportunity.

2.  

3. Great idea.  Will do at MOAP2.

[Kat Kid]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

When you had your personal sitdown with Schulz, did EPAW come up?  Follow up.  How loaded are you?  Last one.  After 10-15 years accumulating even greater wealth will you become a goEMAW benefactor wearing snow leopard shawls over your purple silk crocktail dress and white gloves puffing off a smoking holder?

Big fan.  I'll listen off the air.

1. Unfortunately, EPAW did not come up.  Huge regret. Big missed opportunity.

2.  

3. Great idea.  Will do at MOAP2.

Wow.  Feel like Answer 3 answered #2 on a completely different level.

What a delightful group of posters we have here!

[wabash909]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

Even the largest counsel of attorneys can be of the pussy variety.

I talked to a real life big shot attorney cat over lunch today and he said "There is no doubt in my mind there would have been a lawsuit".

[Trim]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

Even the largest counsel of attorneys can be of the pussy variety.

I talked to a real life big shot attorney cat over lunch today and he said "There is no doubt in my mind there would have been a lawsuit".

Yep, good think KSU is armed with a giant counsel (albeit not big shot) to handle inevitable lawsuits and to finish off the minimal work remaining on the RP case and stuff like that.

[wabash909]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

They've become very anti-litigation.  You should threaten to sue OBz, KSU and the whole damn system for that time when he kicked you out of his seat and see what kind of quick settlement you can get.

Dunno about that.  When Prez Schulz was out here he told me they hired a bunch of new in-house attorneys since they could get them on the cheap due to the current total collapse of the legal market.

Even the largest counsel of attorneys can be of the pussy variety.

I talked to a real life big shot attorney cat over lunch today and he said "There is no doubt in my mind there would have been a lawsuit".

Yep, good think KSU is armed with a giant counsel (albeit not big shot) to handle inevitable lawsuits and to finish off the minimal work remaining on the RP case and stuff like that.

It also helps to have an AD very committed to transparency.

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It also helps to have an AD very committed to transparency.

That next e-mailed letter from John is gonna be a long one.

[MakeItRain]

Wait so they changed firms based on an article? I have no clue what is going on.

I think that is the takeaway here....

not even kstate is that stupid.

Most of you seem to assume that the bid process was fair and there were no improprieties.