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CaBisonFan
01-28-2008, 05:46 AM
Forget it. It's a bad idea. Plan for 2095.

roadwarrior
01-28-2008, 12:46 PM
NDSU already owns well over 2000 acres of land in Fargo.

There will never be a retractable roof stadium of any kind in Fargo.

Time for somebody to get a prescription for some reality pills.

aces1180
01-28-2008, 02:22 PM
CA - I love your passion, but multipurpose sports facilities went out in the late 70's and early 80's...Have you noticed that with the exception of the Metrodome in Minneapolis (becoming the home to one tenant in 2010) McAfee Stadium in Oakland (becoming the home to one tenant in 2011), the Rogers Centre in Toronto (the CFL also plays there) and Dolphin Stadium in Miami (the Marlins are in trouble), most teams now have their own stadiums?

Look at the last 10 years...The Padres left Qaulcomm (San Diego), the Mariners and Seahawks left the Kingdome (Seattle), the Steelers and Pirates left Three-Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh), the Phillies and Eagles left Veteran's Stadium (Philadelphia), the Reds and Bengals left Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati) and even the Braves and Falcons left Fulton-County Stadium (Atlanta; mid-90s). Teams don't want to share anymore and I agree with them. Baseball stadiums should be for baseball and football stadiums should be for football.

I think the same philosophy should be applied to NDSU when dealing with the outdoor sports - Track, soccer, baseball, softball and football (which is currently indoors). Give each of them their own identities and facilities.

McBison
01-28-2008, 11:44 PM
CaBison

It is people like you that fulfill the saying “shoot for the moon, and if you miss you are still with the stars.” Your vision for Bison Athletics is like no other.

But…

I think moving the Bison to an “athletic campus” miles from the University would be a bad idea. Even if it is all a “pipe dream,” I do not see a benefit to moving Bison Athletics so far away. If you are going to put it on the other side of the interstate, you might as well move it too south Fargo so I wouldn’t have to take such a long cab ride on Sunday mornings to pick up my car.

The Dome is great for football. I love the game day atmosphere in the west lot, and when the Dome goes pitch black before the Pride of North Dakota come thundering from the tunnel. I wouldn’t mind a few changes, but nothing that hasn’t already been discussed on bisonville.

Were you able to make it to a home game last year?

Brady.

p.s. I enjoy your long posts. I sign on to bisonville to get away from the daily grind, so reading your long posts is a pleasure.

CaBisonFan
01-29-2008, 03:04 AM
NDSU already owns well over 2000 acres of land in Fargo.

There will never be a retractable roof stadium of any kind in Fargo.

Time for somebody to get a prescription for some reality pills.

A lot of Bison fans thought that moving up was a stupid idea..."never happen, they said. Stupid idea."

Chapman did it anyway.

Now he's a hero. The bandwagon continues to grow. The demand for being a part of the Bison program has grown across the region.

30,000 people in Minneapolis...it could, and should happen in Fargo for most home games. We continue to underestimate the desire of the community to support something really big. You have to build the seats before people can sit in them. Someone has to envision it before it can happen.

CaBisonFan
01-29-2008, 03:14 AM
CA - I love your passion, but multipurpose sports facilities went out in the late 70's and early 80's...Have you noticed that with the exception of the Metrodome in Minneapolis (becoming the home to one tenant in 2010) McAfee Stadium in Oakland (becoming the home to one tenant in 2011), the Rogers Centre in Toronto (the CFL also plays there) and Dolphin Stadium in Miami (the Marlins are in trouble), most teams now have their own stadiums?

Look at the last 10 years...The Padres left Qaulcomm (San Diego), the Mariners and Seahawks left the Kingdome (Seattle), the Steelers and Pirates left Three-Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh), the Phillies and Eagles left Veteran's Stadium (Philadelphia), the Reds and Bengals left Riverfront Stadium (Cincinnati) and even the Braves and Falcons left Fulton-County Stadium (Atlanta; mid-90s). Teams don't want to share anymore and I agree with them. Baseball stadiums should be for baseball and football stadiums should be for football.

I think the same philosophy should be applied to NDSU when dealing with the outdoor sports - Track, soccer, baseball, softball and football (which is currently indoors). Give each of them their own identities and facilities.

So then, give them all their own facility. I have no problem with that.

I love your passion too.

Hammersmith
01-29-2008, 05:07 AM
The thing is, we've already got the makings of an athletic campus right where it is now. Once the BB arena is built and the BSA is renovated, we'll almost be done for the next 20 years. If we want an indoor practice facility, it can go where Dacotah Field is. A new natatorium? Build it N/S on the southeast corner of the BSA and block off access to University Drive. The new soccer fields go where the football practice fields are today, which allows for some minor upgrades to the outdoor track facility and a new softball stadium on the southwest corner of the Ellig Complex. Twenty years from now, we can relocate the Biosciences Research Lab(the building just north of Newman), and that can be the location for a new multi-sport facility to replace the BSA. Thirty years from now, the Fargodome will need its mid-life rebuild, and we can greatly expand it then(say 30-40k).

There's no need for a revolution, when an evolution will produce a better result for far less money.

tony
01-29-2008, 02:42 PM
Maybe it's just me but I'd have a hard time even thinkng about spending $100+ million on a retractable roof stadium that serves a purpose already adequately covered by the FargoDome... I just don't see what other uses we get out of it. Suppose NDSU got $100 million to build it (personally, I think to make it bigger than the FargoDome you'd have to be talking $150 million or more). Once you do that, do you abandon the investment in the FargoDome office / locker rooms? And wouldn't the yearly maintenance costs be around $1 million per year? That's a lot of overhead for the athletic department to be carrying - it'd be like starting every year seven figures in the hole. That's why the FargoDome is such a great deal... the city takes care of the overhead (which they can cover with concerts and whatnot) and NDSU gets a $100 million facility for football for a pretty reasonable fee. Besides, NDSU and the state of North Dakota have at least 150 million better uses for 150 million dollars than a football stadium. Not to mention that we have about 15 other athletic programs that desperately need some investment.

What is so desperately bad about the FargoDome anyway?

roadwarrior
01-29-2008, 03:05 PM
Very good points Tony. However I think your dollar estimates are way short of what would be needed. It would easily cost over $100 million to replace the Fargodome today. Just to go to 30000 seats could easily double that, and to add a retractable roof would probably add another $100 million. That would be about $300 million for the cost. NDSU could use that $300 million in its endowment fund!

BigDeal
01-29-2008, 08:57 PM
The shopping for land should begin...and the investment made. I'm not certain of this, but without being able to drive around and take a good peak at the surroundings, going across the interstate to a very large plot of land would be the way to go. If available, the sooner the better. Develop the plot of land, plant trees, and do as much prep. as possible. Landscape it beautifully...from the get-go. Build the parking lots...or most of them.

Plan for a light rail system from campus for the athletes, and eventually a few different stations in the FM area, for game days. Link it to the city transit (bus) system. Obviously, this would be a municipal project.


Ya know, they moved to Gophers across the Interstate, too. Now they're moving back.