OT: Idaho Shows Plans for New Arena

[Skippy]

The University of Idaho will unveil drawings for its planned new basketball arena at the State Board of Education meeting this week. Cost is estimated at $30 million, to be funded with private donations. U of I is out fundraising now, hoping to get enough commitments to come back to the State Board for approval to begin construction later this year.

http://www.pullmanradio.com/ui-presenting-arena-plans-to-state-board-of-education/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[PBP]

Money talks doesn't it?

PBP

 

[Spudhead]

Eh, good for them. I notice they are currently sitting at 6th in the conference at 6-6, 11-12 overall. They can't move into their dome until football season is wrapped up, either. NAU is sitting at 4th in the conference at 8-4, 13-12 overall. They can't begin practice and play in their dome until football season wraps up. So I guess I'm saying that you can't blame ISU's facilities solely on the lack of men's basketball success.

 

[Skippy]

Eh, good for them. I notice they are currently sitting at 6th in the conference at 6-6, 11-12 overall. They can't move into their dome until football season is wrapped up, either. NAU is sitting at 4th in the conference at 8-4, 13-12 overall. They can't begin practice and play in their dome until football season wraps up. So I guess I'm saying that you can't blame ISU's facilities solely on the lack of men's basketball success.

No, you certainly can't. There are a lot of factors that have contributed to ISU's lack of basketball success over the last 20 years or so. But facilities are something that certainly need to be addressed, if for no other reason than Holt Arena is 45 years old and desperately needs sprucing up. Whether ISU can ever find the money for a major remodel remains to be seen.

 

[PBP]

There's also a major issue in the fall with trying to find practice times for men's and women's basketball AND volleyball all at Reed Gym. To say nothing of making time for students and classes.

There is (or was) a rotation system among the three programs which meant that once every year one of those teams draws the "late" slot (starting around 7:30 or 8 PM). Hard to practice, eat, study that late in the day...makes it tough on those kids.

Hoping that when the center in Chubbuck is built, with three basketball courts, that ISU may be able to use it from time to time. I know insurance issues could come into play but I was also told by Sam Nettinga that ISU would be "welcome" to use it if they needed it. That would lessen, at least, some of the time constraint issues that hit ISU teams in the fall.

PBP

 

[SLCBengal]

UI plants to enter the leadership (silent) phase, with the goal of raising $15 million in 9 months...

Read more: KTVB: UI to begin raising funds for proposed arena

Speaking of Idaho, apparently there was some drama during and after their game with NAU last night. Verlin got into it with an assistant during the game, sent him to the locker room, and apparently wouldn't let him ride the bus to Cedar City...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/davezorn72/status/568620329339207681[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/davezorn72/status/568620413317615616[/tweet]

You can click the link in Mitch Strohman's tweet to see the video:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/mitchstrohman/status/568842185887494145[/tweet]

 

[biobengal]

Is the dome insured?

Like say if it burnt down?

 

[svvandal]

Is the dome insured?

Like say if it burnt down?

Haha it is. That's how we lost our previous football stadium, a fire. The major Kibbie remodel with the new translucent endwalls a few years ago was done because of life/safety/insurance reasons. Apparently plywood walls and poor ventilation were a major concern, who could have guessed!

Nobody has ever accused UI or ISU of being aggressive with their athletic facilities and it explains a lot of the last 25 years.

 

[biobengal]

Is the dome insured?

Like say if it burnt down?

Haha it is. That's how we lost our previous football stadium, a fire. The major Kibbie remodel with the new translucent endwalls a few years ago was done because of life/safety/insurance reasons. Apparently plywood walls and poor ventilation were a major concern, who could have guessed!

Nobody has ever accused UI or ISU of being aggressive with their athletic facilities and it explains a lot of the last 25 years.

Sorry about the Kibbie... it seems ISU may have some responsibility. What, you don't love your dome?

 

[PBP]

"Nobody has ever accused UI or ISU of being aggressive with their athletic facilities and it explains a lot of the last 25 years."

Vandal:

You obviously haven't been around ISU the past five years or so have you?

The facilities improvements list is about as long as you arm. Football, men's and women's basketball, new practice field for football and new locker rooms for four different sports to go along with a new video board for Holt Arena and a new weight room.

State of the art? No...but a major, major improvement.

PBP

 

[FormerISUSID]

True that NAU and Idaho have to wait for football to end like ISU, but ISU also has to vacate for a week for the University of Idaho Potato and Agricultural Expo, they vacate for a week for the Simplot Games, and sometimes they vacate for a week for the Big Sky Indoor Track Championships. That's a lot of vacating during conference play.

I've seen Newlee's infrastructure at Idaho....it's very good, better than ISU's. I'll say this. Jeff is working hard at a solution. He has solved many issues at ISU, I'm confident he can solve this one too.

FormerISUSID