Thanks. Didn't mean to GPC the place up.
I think the robot parking garage is what did it in. If I was a legislator, I'd see
600 rooms, about half of which would be paid for by athletic scholarships -OK
11,000 sq ft of retail space, brings in some rent money -OK
Giant claw machine parks residents' cars for them -LOL NO
You're thinking of the apartments by the football stadium. That's a separate project from the $17 million, 66-person apartments they're trying to build by AFH.
Beems do you like this project? Would you want private donors to put the money towards a different Athletics Department type project? I understand if it is a recruiting tool....but you obviously already recruit great (top 5) players without it. I want your perspective because I feel like you are a guy that would say it's unnecessary if it really is unnecessary. I also know you are not a KU BB only type of fan and care about KU Athletics as a whole.
I support any facility project that helps give KU a competitive advantage. That being said, my first thought when I heard about the project was "this is a slap in the face to the football program." The football stadium is in desperate need of an upgrade, and here we are building a $17 million luxury apartment complex for our basketball program. It is what it is, I guess.
You're pretty smart Beems. How would you like to be a D1 athlete at a major conference school, particularly a football player, and see the men's basketball team get a luxury dorm and have their own chef, while you slog it out in a regular dorm or apartment and have to trudge your way over to the training table in the snow on an 8 degree night? If ku or any other school is going to do this, they need to use the OU model, and not the Kentucky model. While Kentucky Basketball makes a lot of money and may drive donations to the general athletic fund at Kentucky. Kentucky Football still makes more money (by sport) and they suck (Louisville hoops makes more money than Kentucky and ku hoops combined).
I am no construction expert, but I know $17 million gets the track torn out at ku's football stadium, with money left over to go towards altering the stands.
Hey, now that I think about it, let's support Self/Zulu Kentucky envy and support the legislative movement to block the issuance of bonds. Then Self will threaten to leave and Zulu will have to hit up boosters to give money to the education side (because it can't go to athletics for a dorm) to build this dorm, likely to the detriment of football.
