The obvious drawback to any comparisons here is that this proposal is NOT a new facility but a major renovation of an already existing (albeit considered locally to be disgusting) building. Unless we plan to do something like this to The Nest (I'm not even sure that's even possible, given that it is contiguous with a classroom building at the pool), this would be impossible.
But that's just the facility. The other half of this slick campaign is how it is to be financed, and this is probably where GCM is going with this. PSU is to be declared an "education urban renewal area" and will therefore get some serious funds for various projects around campus. The arena project is separate from that and therefore will not tap into those funds, but would benefit from the publicity surrounding it anyway. The fact that PSU athletics would barely contribute a third of the scheduled events is an attractive feature because it will continuously generate revenue instead of lying dormant. This would likely include graduations, which (if something similar is done at Sac) would eliminate the expense of renting Power Balance Pavilion. PSU's plans are not really all that ambitious, but would treble what they already have, which would leave some room for growth while not making the place look empty on TV should they get bad attendance for whatever reason while they are building the program.
I like this. Given our history, I say "good luck." We'll need it. But the model is DEFINITELY something to look at. Thanks for the link, GCM.
