Since we're in that lull between signing day and the spring seasons, here are some crude photos I snapped last week at the signing-day banquet. These are renderings of our north end zone project and south end zone scoreboard replacement. Unfortunately I sat in the back of the room and the picture quality is poor. The north end zone project, I'm told, is projected to cost roughly $100 million, a good portion of that coming from private money. (If I recall correctly, our athletic center behind the west stands cost us about $70 million 10 years ago.) Exciting times ahead.
For comparison purposes, I've posted below a link to a Virginian Pilot story from last week about stadium expansion plans at ODU:

http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/o ... f2438.html

Thanks for posting. Exciting to see pictures. Though, I want to see some without the track.

Gonzo wrote:Thanks for posting. Exciting to see pictures. Though, I want to see some without the track.

I think they are still waiting for the purchase of an off campus athletics facility from what I can infer. The 2025 campus master plan has 2 plans for the broyhill area. One has softball, baseball and a track facility up there and the other doesn't have a track a field facility. I think the plan with a T&F is a fall back because the consensus is that is has to go and leveling an area for a track on top of that hill would be costly. This combined with the fact that the soccer stadium is rented from the local soccer association and no investment seems to have been made in a field hockey stadium (using old stadium at state farm) leads me to believe we will see a permanent off campus soccer, field hockey and track facility announced in the next couple years. This will probably coincide with the removal of the track and the rendering that the pictures show the new endzone facility begin built over the current track which makes no sense if the track will continue to be used. they also wouldn't invest in a building like this if once the track is removed the end zone facility is 25 yards from the end zone like the current field house is.

This leads to our never ending number of threads about how to bring the "App" and "State" stands closer to the sideline and these pictures don't answer that question. I also am unable to find an obvious location for this possible athletic complex other than the Old High School (which has been debated to death) or possibly the old industrial complex on Greenway Rd. near Walmart. I don't think it the school would want to build a facility like this out of town and put that much distance from between facilities in an otherwise mostly compact campus.

Perhaps field hockey will get a new home, but they just refurbished their existing home a year or so ago with a alum donation.

http://www.appstatesports.com/ViewArtic ... M_ID=21500

hapapp wrote:Perhaps field hockey will get a new home, but they just refurbished their existing home a year or so ago with a alum donation.

http://www.appstatesports.com/ViewArtic ... M_ID=21500

ah, I hadn't realized they had done all of that up there and were planning to build locker rooms and concessions.

Gonzo wrote:Thanks for posting. Exciting to see pictures. Though, I want to see some without the track.

The fact that the stands behind the north end zone in the rendering go over the track is a good sign. Track events might be a little tricky with that tight turn

SayYesToTheRock wrote: The fact that the stands behind the north end zone in the rendering go over the track is a good sign. Track events might be a little tricky with that tight turn

Rubbin' is racin'.

Man I hope these renderings are just for starting discussion.....With what is known it raises a ton of questions and I hope they consider future expansion down the road to offset future cost....I would like to think so.....No way they could be that stupid......But these renderings don't impress me in the very least as far as inside the stadium north end zone is concerned.

Everything I've seen is farewell to being symmetrical more chopped up shit and piece mill at best.

" I actually considered blowing up the track."
- Madonna

MAD Doctor wrote:" I actually considered blowing up the track."
- Madonna

Hillarious no pun intended

CornCobPipes wrote:Man I hope these renderings are just for starting discussion.....With what is known it raises a ton of questions and I hope they consider future expansion down the road to offset future cost....I would like to think so.....No way they could be that stupid......But these renderings don't impress me in the very least as far as inside the stadium north end zone is concerned.

I couldn't agree more. These renderings are exceptionally underwhelming. The club level area is fine, but the stands must come down to the field level. Having a blank space/wall at field level creates a dead zone which hurts the stadium atmosphere. Additionally, it's hard to see in the renderings, but the north end zone concourse should connect the east and west side concourses. Please don't rush this expansion/upgrade. We get one shot at the north end zone. Make sure it's done right.

That does not look like the rendering I saw earlier. It looked much better.

tigersef wrote:

CornCobPipes wrote:Man I hope these renderings are just for starting discussion.....With what is known it raises a ton of questions and I hope they consider future expansion down the road to offset future cost....I would like to think so.....No way they could be that stupid......But these renderings don't impress me in the very least as far as inside the stadium north end zone is concerned.

I couldn't agree more. These renderings are exceptionally underwhelming. The club level area is fine, but the stands must come down to the field level. Having a blank space/wall at field level creates a dead zone which hurts the stadium atmosphere. Additionally, it's hard to see in the renderings, but the north end zone concourse should connect the east and west side concourses. Please don't rush this expansion/upgrade. We get one shot at the north end zone. Make sure it's done right.

To me the first priority should be losing the track and building over the state/east side lower deck and shifting the playing field towards the App/ west side........Then look at north end zone expansion!

We don't need to do past mistakes...... Years ago the idiots used the wrong pitch for lower stands....God that track has got to go for 3333rd time!

The engineering for KBS is starting to look like our basketball program.

To me the first priority should be losing the track and building over the state/east side lower deck and shifting the playing field towards the App/ west side........Then look at north end zone expansion![/quote]

You have to understand, the expansion is for club seats and suites that generate more revenue than regular seats.

huskie3 wrote:To me the first priority should be losing the track and building over the state/east side lower deck and shifting the playing field towards the App/ west side........Then look at north end zone expansion!

You have to understand, the expansion is for club seats and suites that generate more revenue than regular seats.[/quote]

Thank you a thousand times, H3. Some of our younger and louder fans simply have NO IDEA about the struggles that have taken place over the last 40 years to get us to this point. NOT A CLUE! They need to learn some App State history, become more appreciative of what we have, complain less and write bigger checks! And soon for all of that!

Oh, I meant every word!

For the plan to move forward as most advantageous for the University, it is universally agreed the track needs to move. I do know Gillin hates the current track location and wants it moved.

The problem is, where in Boone is there enough flat space for a track?

The County has a big ego with the WHS property and the new addition of Publix does nothing to help simmer down that ego. Short of some deep pocket donors stepping up, we may have to find a way to work "around" the track. Retactacble or temporary stands? I dunno. But it is a legit issue. Before Publix, the last valuation for the property was $16M.
That has only gone up since then.

The high school is far from off the table right now. Lots of things going on all over the place. And the track will be gone.