Survey on Memorial Stadium "Modernization"

[ColoradoHusk]

For all the talk, there doesn't seem to be much demand for alcohol sales in Memorial Stadium...

Did you go thru the entire survey? It was over 70% who were in favor or neutral on alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium. 

 

[knapplc]

Sam McKewon estimates it would be $250-300 million to renovate and modernize Memorial Stadium.  Sam is speculating that NU might as well tear down the entire South End Zone stadium and redo the whole thing from scratch, with the premium seating and more open standing room area in that section. 

Before people say "might as well build a brand new stadium for that price", it would cost nearly $1 Billion to build an entirely new stadium and there isn't a good location in Lincoln to build a new one. 

If money were no object, the ideal site for a new, billion-dollar stadium would be on Innovation Campus where the old State Fair track used to be. There would be plenty of parking surrounding the stadium for tailgating, and Cornhusker Highway, Salt Creek Roadway & Antelope Valley Expressway would provide easy ingress/egress to the area.

Maybe when Warren Buffet dies he can gift UNL a couple spare billion to do up the area all nice and swell.

Failing that, we can make the best of our 100-year-old stadium. It's still pretty awesome.

And it's the 23rd largest stadium.

In the world.

That's still kinda cool.

 

[Toe]

Did you go thru the entire survey? It was over 70% who were in favor or neutral on alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium. 

Yes I did. But it appears to be much more of a 'eh, would be nice to have' than a 'we REALLY want this'.

 

[Toe]

Maybe when Warren Buffet dies he can gift UNL a couple spare billion to do up the area all nice and swell.

Maybe when Warren Buffet dies, he can gift UNL a microphone so we can hear reporters' questions during press conferences.

 

[knapplc]

Maybe when Warren Buffet dies, he can gift UNL a microphone so we can hear reporters' questions during press conferences.

Sorry. Can you repeat that?

 

[teachercd]

Sam McKewon estimates it would be $250-300 million to renovate and modernize Memorial Stadium.  Sam is speculating that NU might as well tear down the entire South End Zone stadium and redo the whole thing from scratch, with the premium seating and more open standing room area in that section. 

Before people say "might as well build a brand new stadium for that price", it would cost nearly $1 Billion to build an entirely new stadium and there isn't a good location in Lincoln to build a new one. 

And putting  a new stadium off campus is a death sentence. 

 

[VectorVictor]

And putting  a new stadium off campus is a death sentence. 

Um...I thought the UNL Innovation Campus is...on campus?

I mean, it's in it's name, right?  :dunno

 

[teachercd]

Um...I thought the UNL Innovation Campus is...on campus?

I mean, it's in it's name, right?  :dunno

No idea, I have never heard of that.

 

[VectorVictor]

No idea, I have never heard of that.

Yup--it's the old fairgrounds. Plenty of space for a new stadium, parking, and more. 

 

[teachercd]

Yup--it's the old fairgrounds. Plenty of space for a new stadium, parking, and more. 

Is that where the old basketball arena was at? 

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Yup--it's the old fairgrounds. Plenty of space for a new stadium, parking, and more. 

I know campus has grown a lot from when I've been in school, but I think the further the stadium gets from downtown and the ease of getting to I-80, the worse it would be.

 

[RavHuskr]

Its where Devaney is and the Ice box and now a new hotel and where they are building the new track.

 

[VectorVictor]

I know campus has grown a lot from when I've been in school, but I think the further the stadium gets from downtown and the ease of getting to I-80, the worse it would be.

I dunno...there's already shuttles so people can park out and be brought to campus as-is. 

 

[ColoradoHusk]

NU wouldn't be making all of these improvements to the locker room, and practice/training facilities which the football team will use if they were thinking of building a new stadium.  The work is being done so that the new facilities are in close proximity to the existing stadium.

The fix for Memorial Stadium is to take a 1-2 year hit of attendance, tear down the South stadium, make that area the "premium" seating area for those who want it, along with other upgrades to the stadium where they can.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

I dunno...there's already shuttles so people can park out and be brought to campus as-is. 

I have been going to Nebraska games for 40+ years, and I have never used a city bus/shuttle to come into the stadium/campus.  The majority of fans are parking in nearby lots or walking in from downtown/Haymarket area.