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Spring football wrapup from The Spokesman-Review

Jim:

As you can see by which threads get the most comments, can you dig in to the stadium situation? It's become the elephant in the room, rumors fly but no one in an official capacity ever says anything about it. We're going on 4 years since the latest PR release-- and much like the two PR releases before it-- no dirt is getting moved. So far as I'm concerned, I'd be more interested in reading about exactly where the university is at and what the plan is instead of just about anything else. It is absolutely critical to the success of the program... Honestly, I think it's time the media start holding some feet to the fire about promises made; isn't that what journalists do? Help us out!

Thanks!
 
Based on Jim's report is sounds like the QB job will go to Gubrud.
"Quarterback: Baldwin has said all spring that he’s confident in all three of his top quarterbacks, including senior Jordan West and sophomores Reilly Hennessey and Gage Gubrud. All have good arms, but Gubrud separated himself with his mobility. He’s not Vernon Adams Jr., but Gubrud’s elusiveness is an ingredient the Eagles lacked last year. "
 
clawman said:
If there is nothing to announce what would you like to hear?
Click to expand...

I'd like to hear about where the university is at, projected timelines, and what needs to be done to start moving ground. I would like a better and more detailed response than"we're fundraising, but not quite there." That's sort of been the answer for years now, and no one has delved deeper into the situation. The strange thing is that it seems everyone is interested... But no one has any idea of what is actually happening.
 
My guess is a 20 million dollar pledge would get something started, and 30 or 40 mil would not hurt either! :lol:
 
One thing that bothers me a little about the stadium renovation, is that we've been told for several years now that "we're fundraising." I've been a season ticket holder since graduating in 2013 and have also been an EAF member for the same amount of time. I've never been asked to donate or about donating to a possible renovation. I understand they're probably looking more toward high end donors, but still....what gives??
 
I happen to know they were courting a "big fish" in the area that would not commit, and he has not been at the number of functions he was in the past, so I am surmising he is out of the picture. I was also told they had been attempting some creative funding ideas similar to what some large universities have used in the past but to no avail.
So here we are, lots of interest by fans but no big money to make it happen. I will give the administration credit, they have been trying.
 
clawman said:
I happen to know they were courting a "big fish" in the area that would not commit, and he has not been at the number of functions he was in the past, so I am surmising he is out of the picture. I was also told they had been attempting some creative funding ideas similar to what some large universities have used in the past but to no avail.
So here we are, lots of interest by fans but no big money to make it happen. I will give the administration credit, they have been trying.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying, and I've heard they been courting donors as well. But everyone around the program can testify that the university has always seemed like their dedication to athletic excellence is a little dubious. Keep in mind, this isn't the first time Eastern has announced a stadium renovation was coming; hell, it isn't the second time either. Sometimes it just feels like the university throws these things out with no direction or accountability.

And, for what it is worth, I have a hard time believing something-- smaller in scale, of course- can't be done within the facilities budget of the university. It wouldn't lead to the grandiose Gateway Project we're all hoping for... but at least it could provide a fix to the critical problem.

Any person could argue Montana and Montana State aren't getting good value on their investment dollar. However, it feels like their commitment to doing whatever is necessary to build a program of high worth is very evident. I don't feel that way about Eastern, sadly. It seems like the university wants successful athletic programs, but only so far as it can be done cheaply.

Anyway, that's my $.02 for the day..
 
Lots of options here:

http://www.seatingsolutions.com/

sporting-events-slider-rutgers.jpg


And here's some info on pricing:

To buy elevated bleachers [4] with first-row seating on a raised platform typically costs $90-$150 per seat. Indiana-based Century Industries[5] sells elevated bleachers seating 300 people for $37,500, at a price of $125 per seat. The advantage of elevated bleachers is a heightened view of the playing field or event.
To buy bleachers seating 15-100 people typically costs $645-$9,000 including delivery. Bleachers seating 450 people can cost up to $56,000. This does not include the very high cost of installing bleachers in school stadiums, fairgrounds and professional sports arenas, which ranges from $150,000 for used bleachers to more than $1 million for new stadium seating.
Click to expand...

http://activities.costhelper.com/bleacher.html

So for roughly $200,000 we could add around 2000 seats on the east grand stand ($56,000 per 450 sounds like the high end of the spectrum, you'd still have installation fees but you could also make a little dough selling the old bleachers). That gets capacity to around 10,700. Good enough to accept some growth for non-rival games and playoffs. Or spend $400,000 and get to 12,700, anticipating stronger demand and eliminate cost of bringing in temp seating for Montana (more savings).

The university is constantly under construction, and spending money (100's of thousands) on projects right and left. These numbers hardly seem impossible. But it obviously requires the backing of the administration and BoT.

An administration with vision recognizes the immense amount of publicity and marketing benefits that the football program has brought to the school over the last decade. The value has been in the millions. We all know that.

As Dopa suggested, this type of money should be within the facilities budget anyway so perhaps they are closer than we think with the Gateway and it's worth waiting for.

Or maybe we need to start a crowdfunding campaign and get the ball rolling. I'd throw money at it and recruit people to chip in.

edit: my capacity numbers are a bit off as you'd be replacing existing bleachers and I'm not sure how many they seat, but the general idea doesn't change.
 
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