Cajun Field 1971...

[Jaws]

Yes, first up is completing the lighting....then the major construction after next season.

But more importantly is that whole 10% thing: yes, all the money is there, minus the 10% over the budget. But that is exactly the whole point: why haven't they gone to us to try to capture that last bit??? You have fans that are practically begging to help out and be a part of this......and yet we hear nothing.

LACajun
Isn't that the story for the last 20 years here?

[Jaws]

CajunRebel--"Our seating capacity couldn't have less to do with conference realignment. Let's wait until we actually sell out a game before we talk about expanding Cajun Field again. There are much better ways to use our limited resources than on seating for fans that don't exist."

Rebel,
You hit the nail on the head there buddy.
It cracks me up to hear people talk about putting a deck on the student section side and putting seats for 50,000 fans.

I've got an idea:
1. CAN WE PLEASE FIX THE NASTY PRESS BOX?
Not a complete overhaul, just REMOVE THE 1970's yellowish blinds and maybe tint the windows a bit.
2. PRESSURE WASH THE CONCRETE
3. Perhaps a bit of landscaping
4. SELL OUT A HOME GAME
5. Remove the black wooden "suites"

If the "powers that be" can address these issues first, then maybe we can spend 10-20 mil the right way.
I'd rather spend the money the right way and fix outstanding issues, then doing too much on a tight budget and end up with something oversized, and poorly executed.

[HoustonCajun]

CajunRebel--"Our seating capacity couldn't have less to do with conference realignment. Let's wait until we actually sell out a game before we talk about expanding Cajun Field again. There are much better ways to use our limited resources than on seating for fans that don't exist."

Rebel,
You hit the nail on the head there buddy.
It cracks me up to hear people talk about putting a deck on the student section side and putting seats for 50,000 fans.

I've got an idea:
1. CAN WE PLEASE FIX THE NASTY PRESS BOX?
Not a complete overhaul, just REMOVE THE 1970's yellowish blinds and maybe tint the windows a bit.
2. PRESSURE WASH THE CONCRETE
3. Perhaps a bit of landscaping
4. SELL OUT A HOME GAME
5. Remove the black wooden "suites"

If the "powers that be" can address these issues first, then maybe we can spend 10-20 mil the right way.
I'd rather spend the money the right way and fix outstanding issues, then doing too much on a tight budget and end up with something oversized, and poorly executed.

Keep in mind that Phase 2 of the Master Plan calls for major stadium upgrades. We just hired an RCAF Director to raise funds to complete Phase 2. What I am saying is, we don't have to spend $75M to expand Cajun Field to 50K seats. Instead, I am suggesting that we tear down the upper deck and build a new press box rather than renovate the current one as you suggest. Also, keep in mind that we need new offices that are to be built on the west side of the stadium (so they can tear down the Cox building). Add suites and bowl the stadium, keeping seating at about 40,000 (which is all we need now), creating revenue from building suites, giving our stadium a finished, big time look by bowling it, and doing all of that for maybe half of what we originally projected. I don't know what the cost is, but if UCF is building an entire stadium for $55M, we might be able to do this for maybe around $30M instead of $75M. If, like baseball, we need 50% of that amount up front before we can start, we are talking about maybe $15M instead of the $35M otherwise needed. The revenue from suites alone might be enough to pay for this.

Raise the funds now to finish the football stadium. Baseball will be finished in 2 years. We have a new softball facility, a new T&F facility, the CajunDome is undergoing major renovations. Our athletic complex will be complete and have us ready for conference realignment when the right opportunity comes. We need to be proactive and not reactive wondering yet again why we were left behind.

[Geaux]

I agree. We don't need a stadium that seats more than 50k. Completing the bowl and adding suites and offices on would be awesome. It would look just like Oregon's 50k seat stadium!

[ATXCajun]

I'm close to buying what you selling.

I'm buying the bowl, but not the east deck in lieu of a west deck. We would be selling suites in the sun and not upgrading the press facilities. Putting the press on the east side would be a non-starter.

[CrazyCajun]

I'm buying the bowl, but not the east deck in lieu of a west deck. We would be selling suites in the sun and not upgrading the press facilities. Putting the press on the east side would be a non-starter.

Nobody else in the country plays in the sun?

[HoustonCajun]

I agree. We don't need a stadium that seats more than 50k. Completing the bowl and adding suites and offices on would be awesome. It would look just like Oregon's 50k seat stadium!

Here is what the Oregon stadium looks like. I like the big "O" Oregon on the back of their scoreboard. Would like to see something like that on the back of ours instead of those old faded advertisements that no one can read anyway.

[Turbine]

I'm buying the bowl, but not the east deck in lieu of a west deck. We would be selling suites in the sun and not upgrading the press facilities. Putting the press on the east side would be a non-starter.

Let's go back to "Louisiana Saturday Night" football.

7pm start times.

Suite sunlight problem solved.

[Turbine]

Here is what the Oregon stadium looks like. I like the big "O" Oregon on the back of their scoreboard. Would like to see something like that on the back of ours instead of those old faded advertisements that no one can read anyway.

Their O doesn't match the field.

[CajunJack55]

Let's go back to "Louisiana Saturday Night" football.

7pm start times.

Suite sunlight problem solved.

That's hard to do in 2015 when you have tv and games are 4 hours long now.