VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 10:51:56 02/17/05 Thu
Author: J.J.
Subject: On-campus indoor facility

From the following 2 articles, it sounds as if the CSU BOT is truly committed to an on-campus athletic facility. That is the great news, but in reality when will they actually move forward in conducting the study, developing a realistic timeline, budget/funding estimes, etc?

There has been a lot of talk for years, but very little action to date and from C.J.'s response to recent web questions on the subject, it didn't sound very encouraging for any immediate progress. Let's just hope we see some real study/planning by the end of this FY with the $250K that is budgeted.

---
Sports-Complex Plan Has Its Critics
CCSU Wary Of City's Downtown Proposal
By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ
Courant Staff Writer

February 8 2005

NEW BRITAIN -- City leaders aren't ready to surrender an idea to bring to downtown a Central Connecticut State University sports complex, in spite of university officials' cool reception to the proposal.

The university's board of trustees says the indoor arena CCSU hopes to build needs to sit on campus; a downtown location, it said, would be inconvenient for students.

And so when the state set aside $250,000 for the university to study the downtown plan, CCSU said, in effect, thanks, but no thanks.

The university's reluctance is understandable, said state Sen. Donald DeFronzo, D-New Britain. "But that doesn't preclude the city from looking into the facility."

DeFronzo reallocated the same funding for the city, tied now more broadly to a downtown economic development study - a key component of which will be the feasibility of constructing a sports arena at the current site of NewBrite Plaza. The state bonding commission approved the funding last Friday.

The study's aim, DeFronzo said, is to map out for New Britain the best way to resuscitate its struggling city center. Downtown revival has been a talking point among local politicians for years. But to date, the city has drawn up no concrete plan for how it aims to attract retail shops, restaurants and housing to a downtown that sits largely desolate after the workday.

Getting such a plan in place "is important for the city of New Britain and we want to be a supportive partner in the development" of the city, said Nicholas Pettinico, the university's vice president for institutional advancement.

But putting an arena downtown just wouldn't make sense for CCSU, he said. The facility is envisioned to house indoor inter-collegiate sports and the university's recreation and intramural programs.

"Honestly, a downtown facility - as nice as that would be - would not fill the second piece of that need," Pettinico said. "It would not be convenient for our students for use as a recreation facility."

DeFronzo is sympathetic to the reservations. But the idea, backed by the city's downtown district and chamber of commerce, merits consideration, he said. If the study produces a plan the city backs, officials can work to get CCSU and state officials on board, DeFronzo said.

"It's an opportunity for the city," he said. "And if it's not in the cards, we should look at another plan to have some real potential development for the city. The truth of the matter is, the city has not had ... a coordinated economic development plan and we need to have one."

Other areas to look at, he said, are ways to link projects underway in downtown, such as the reuse of the former Trinity United Methodist Church as a performing arts and community space.

Copyright 2005, Hartford Courant

---
02/09/2005
Focus of state funds unresolved
By PENNY RIORDAN , Staff Writer

NEW BRITAIN -- Now that the city has secured $250,000 in state bonding money to study options for economic redevelopment, elected officials are in disagreement as to how to spend the money.

State Sen. Donald DeFronzo, D-6th District, announced last week that money was authorized by the State Bond Commission to go to New Britain for a downtown arena feasibility study.

The money was listed as a priority by state legislators, including Reps. Timothy O’Brien, D-24th District, John Geragosian, D-25th District, Peter Tercyak, D-26th District and Mayor Timothy Stewart in a letter sent to Gov. M. Jodi Rell last year.

But with the apparent reversal of interest at Central Connecticut State University and the state university system about putting an arena downtown, Stewart said he is not so sure the downtown should be studied.

A year ago, the money was expected to go to the university instead of the city, in an effort to determine the feasibility of a sports arena and convention center downtown for the university.

But Connecticut State University Chancellor William Cibes has said putting an arena downtown is no longer a priority for the university.

Since then, the delegation and the city moved to shift the money to the city.

DeFronzo said he hopes a feasibility study for an arena is still considered, despite CCSU’s hesitancy.

"I still think we should take a look at the arena option," he said. "I haven’t given up hope that we can force-feed the idea to the university system."

Stewart said he agrees the money will help with economic development planning for the city, but wondered if it was beneficial to focus on downtown.

"I think we pretty much know what the problems are in downtown," he said. "It’s just a matter of getting some private company in and investing money in the community."

The Republican mayor said he would like to see the money go toward the update of the city’s Master Plan, which has languished for years without attention.

"New Britain has kind of flown by the seat of its pants, project by project, thinking some kind of white knight would come in and save us from its tax woes," he said.

DeFronzo, however, pointed out that the downtown study would serve as a way to connect the impact of a number of separate downtown initiatives, including the performance venue at Trinity-on-Main, the proposed New Britain-Hartford Busway and the redevelopment of the Rao building.

"The idea is to see how we can link those projects to create some critical mass of economic momentum downtown," he said.

It is unclear at this point how flexible the bonding language is to allow another use, DeFronzo said, but the money is readily available for the city.

Stewart said he expects any study to be completed through an outside source.

But still, it is good to have money available from the state, he said.

"It really depends on what parameters they put on it," he said. "It’s not going to hurt to have someone take an objective look at downtown."

Penny Riordan can be reached at priordan@newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, Ext. 221.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- Moose, 12:16:54 02/17/05 Thu

Can I ask, What is wrong with Kaiser Hall. Yes, I know it is old. However, it is big enuff to host the basketball teams games. Unless, of course, You are talking about bringing in some real big names (UCONN, Providence, Etc...)


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- LarryL9797, 10:37:49 02/18/05 Fri

Although there is alot of histoy in the old gym. It is OLD, the lighting stinks, the playing floor needs to be replaced. There are cracks in the walls. The score board is old as the Hills. I think that all the $$ would be better used to go to a NEW facility! And think about this... New facilities go a long way in Player recruiting! If central does not take the carrot now (or at least use the 250 g's and do a decent study to get the ball rolling ), you never know when you will get state $$ again. I also think that this should be on CAMAPUS for the students to use!
How many students make it to FFLds games at Harbour Yard?


[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- inside, 14:04:21 02/17/05 Thu

I'll pretend I didn't read that last statement.


[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- inside, 10:43:32 02/18/05 Fri

FYI - after the basketball season the entire floor is scheduled to be replaced, as well as new seating on the general admission side and new scoreboards. And before you say it, putting the money into that will have no effect on whether a new facility is built, the two are not related.


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- J.J., 15:49:59 02/18/05 Fri

Insider - It's very good to hear that fixing Detrick will have no effect on whether or not to build a new facility. And while I think those renovations could go a long way until something else is built, let’s not loose any more seats. Prior to the bleacher renovations, the gym's capacity was once listed as 5,000 with an additional 500 temporary seats behind the basket. I know the current reserved seating is very nice (was a much needed replacement to the wooden bleachers) and probably meets new fire codes, but the building’s capacity has gotten very small. Just imagine another 1,000 to 2,000 more seats in that 2002 NEC championship. I'm also pretty sure the CIAC basketball championships can draw well above the current 3,200 capacity. I remember being at the Stamford/Harding Class LL finals back in 1992 that had to be near 5k. I just hope that the renovations are better planned than what was done for the football stadium. I have heard that architectural plans for Arute's renovations were done in-house, had more than one snafu, and the project finished with questionable results considering the the final cost.


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> [> Detrick renovations -- J.J., 10:22:29 03/23/05 Wed

Excerpt from a Hartford Courant article:

"An estimated 500 to 1,000 were turned away from the Crosby-Trinity Catholic final. ... The basketball floor at CCSU is no more. A new floor is scheduled to be in place by late summer. In addition, changes to the bleachers opposite the team benches will result in the loss of approximately 300 seats."

Like I said above, the renovations are a good idea (and desperatly needed), but the capacity is getting smaller than many HS gyms. What will the renovated seating capacity be? And how can CCSU expect to continue hosting the CIAC championships when you turn away 1,000 fans (@ $6 a ticket). It just doesn't make sense to me.


[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- inside, 14:57:12 03/23/05 Wed

CCSU gets a flat fee for the CIAC's, not a per ticket fee. The CIAC rents the facility and pays for the people to work there.

I hope your not talking about the renovation when you say it does not make sense. It makes total sense. The old bleachers were AWFUL and dangerious and the floor was from 1965, when the building opened. 300 is a high number, it won't be that much and you won't even notice a difference when it is all said and done, as far as a crowd is concerned.

The new floor will be better, the gym will be wired for television (no more cords running across the floor), it will be painted with new signage and banners....and new SCOREBOARDS will be installed.

However, the can look for the Division I CIAC game to be at a different complex next year.


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- J.J., 15:34:37 03/23/05 Wed

Its been a slow week at work, so I have a lot of free time :)

Sorry, but you may have misread my comment. I said it doesn't make sense for the CIAC to continue playing at Central if the seating capacity doesn't allow them to maximize their ticket sales. If I were the CIAC, I'd have to say the CCSU gym just cost me about $6,000 in revenue for just one game! BTW - I think it is a great relationship to have the state championships on campus for public relations and recruiting (and I hate to hear you guys will lose it next year), but I can't blame them for leaving.

Now as for those renovations, they sound very exciting, and as I've said before I agree that they are much needed! A new floor, fresh paint, new banners and scoreboards, and improved lighting are all great investments and I can’t wait to see them next season. My only constructive criticism is that it would be nice to maintain the largest seating capacity possible, while making the needed upgrades. It appears that the recent upgrades to both Arute and Detrick will cost each facility nearly 2,000 seats. Based on numbers alone, CCSU is a Division I public state university with an estimated enrollment of 12,000 students, yet is has football and basketball facilities that seat less than 3,500 people each – that is very small! Both teams average between 2,000–3,000 people per game and so the small facilities leave very little room for future growth, or special events. Plus big games, such FB vs. URI, or MBB tourney games could easily draw 4,000-5,000. Without those extra available seats you limit your revenue potential.


[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- inside, 15:56:06 03/23/05 Wed

URI average attendance in 2004: 3,282
CCSU average attendance in 2004: 2,817

Bringing in URI is not that much of a draw.

And Arute was AWFUL before the renovations, I remember going to a game and sitting on a dirt hill, about 8 years ago.

The reason we will lose some in Detrick is because we will no longer be using the crappy wooden bleachers, but upgrading the style of seat to one that actual won't be a hazard for fans to sit in. We can't get the capacity up to 5,000 in Detrick, so right now we're doing what we can do to make it better. Probably not a great answer but there is only so much space in there. Let's also remember, the capacity is based on a fire marshall's estimation, it's pretty tough to compare one bleacher set-up to another.


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> CIAC will move D1 championship site -- J.J., 14:30:36 03/28/05 Mon

Yes, the last FB game I saw at the old Arute was years ago too. But back then I usually didn't catch much of the game because I was stuck selling hot dogs and pretzels (what a college kid had to do to make some $$$ :) That field was basically a press box, some crappy wooden bleachers, and the grass hill. Now that is a great way to watch a baseball game in the spring (picnic style on a blanket), but it doesn't work so well when it’s wet, or on a cold November day in Connecticut. So, I agree the new football stadium is a big improvement over the latter for football, even if it is kinda small.

As for Detrick, I know that new seating will be a great improvement in safety and comfort for fans. It’s kinda like when you get bigger seats or more leg room in an airplane. You gain comfort, but loose passenger capacity. It is a trade-off that will be well worth it if the gym can maintain around 3,500 seats or so (with the fire marshal’s approval). Hopefully these improvements will just bridge the gap until a new facility is eventually built.

But I think it is a little pathetic when a NCAA Division I facility isn’t big enough for a state boy’s basketball finals (and this isn’t Indiana). The CIAC might move it down the street to Univ. of Hartford, or even to WCSU in Danbury. So it is possible for Southern (football) and Western (basketball) to have facilities to host large state high school events, but Central can’t? I know the university needs facilities for its own purposes and mission, but I would think that if kids and parents saw improved facilities at Central it could help in recruiting more in-state students. Just another reason for increased state investment …

<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.bristolpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14193811&BRD=1643&PAG=461&dept_id=464194&rfi=6">http://www.bristolpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14193811&BRD=1643&PAG=461&dept_id=464194&rfi=6</a>


[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: On-campus indoor facility -- inside, 15:19:18 03/28/05 Mon

Adding more seats to Detrick us not a possibility, and since that is the only gym we have to work with all we can do is make it a better place to watch a game, by redoing the floor and the bleachers we are doing that. Let them move them all somewhere else, that's one (or four) less event on our floor which is already overused anyway.


[ Edit | View ]


[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.