Facilities - Coach Choate

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Catsrgrood
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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by Catsrgrood » Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:25 pm

gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:05 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:45 pm
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:41 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:09 pm
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:05 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:47 pm
"...help everyone understand that we're not that far away."
I believe we are far away. Very far away. MSU has always had difficulty with this and the money they raise cannot all go toward football related facilities. I hope I am wrong but I would expect little (if any) improvement for 5 more years.
So you think Choate misspoke?
NO, Choate is pushing as hard as he can and doing everything he can by producing a winning team under the current facility plan. I just think it will be harder than he realizes. We need a lot of money. The stadium alone needs about $30M and the indoor practice facility is job one so make that $45 M. Since other facilities cannot be ignored make that $60M plus. I just don't see that happening in less than 5-10 maybe even 15 years. We don't get much just replacing the east side stands. It will look better and line up with the end zone but it produces about the same number of seats and does not change the overall stadium much. BUT, it has to be done second (after the indoor practice facility) because it is falling apart. S9 again, $45 - $60 million before a lot of stadium improvements. NOw an indoor practice facility will help but I believe that what really matters to recruits is the stadium they play in and maybe the locker rooms/weight room(s).
He's not talking about everything. Just the NEZ complex which is first. He even mentioned a bubble would be fine for right now.
If I was him I would want the NEZ first also but that would be difficult. THe indoor practice facility is used my almost every university sport and therefore they all benefit and all support it. The NEZ does not. When I toured the SDSU indoor facility I could see how they were using it. They were able to train their student athletes in a unique way that you could not do in a typical weight room setting. When you donate to the expansion project you have a choice. A donation for all of it or you can be specific. If they get a $15M donation from one source who says I want it to go to the stadium then we are on our way. If not Choate will have to fight for the money just like every other coach in the department. The indoor facility is an easy sell because football wins. recruiting improves and the other sports support the decision. Try selling a $15M+ end zone when the other sports see little facility improvement and the stadium just added about $12M+ a few years ago (end zone, turf, lights and scoreboard).

A bubble is still expensive and is more expensive as a whole once you replace it with a steel structure.
I don’t believe there is any “fighting” for funds between departments and sports. The 20 year athletic plan spells out each phase cleary and has already been thought out.

Phase 1 is for the building in the north end zone that will house football operation offices.
Those are offices that are currently in the field house. By them vacating the fieldhouse, then they’d renovate those offices into study space or something along those lines for all student athletes.

The indoor facility doesn’t come into play until phase 3 or 4 if I’m not mistaken. I haven’t looked at the plan in a while, but I know it’s all laid out pretty clearly.
Last edited by Catsrgrood on Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by bobcatbob » Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:37 pm

Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:22 pm
The Bobcat Athletic Complex is designed to meet the needs identified
by users and stakeholders and encompasses current trends in Division I
athletics and at peer institutions.
Objectives
Create a state of the art facility at a level necessary for the Bobcat
football team to better recruit and compete for Big Sky Conference
and national championships.
Free up space in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse to set the stage for
future renovations to the seating bowl, fan amenities and improved
student-athlete academic success, training, and performance areas.
Location
This new home for the football team will be in the north end zone of
Bobcat Stadium.
Benefits include:
• proximity to the training facilities
• provides sense of enclosure to the stadium, enhances intimacy and
increases home-field advantage
• creates a front door and face to the football stadium on Kagy
Boulevard and 11th Avenue.
Facility details and amenities
This facility will contain a new locker room for day-to-day use and
game-day use.
It will provide all necessary health, safety and training areas for the
football team and all student-athletes, including:
• new weight room
• nutrition refueling station
• training and rehab and recovery rooms.

It will be a showcase for recruiting, highlighting the history of MSU
football and giving recruits a glimpse of what life as a Bobcat can be. It
will provide the necessary spaces and tools for coaches including team
rooms, coaches’ offices, conference rooms and video analysis
It also includes the new academic center in the fieldhouse.
I believe it is critical we get a shovel in the ground for this by this summer. They have been using this as a selling point to recruits for the last two years. If we don’t get going on this, the football program will suffer. We are not keeping up with the competition.

I am disappointed that we fans are not hearing anything about where we are with this. Does it mean we are still far away? I hope not.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by catsrback76 » Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:42 am

bobcatbob wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:37 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:22 pm
The Bobcat Athletic Complex is designed to meet the needs identified
by users and stakeholders and encompasses current trends in Division I
athletics and at peer institutions.
Objectives
Create a state of the art facility at a level necessary for the Bobcat
football team to better recruit and compete for Big Sky Conference
and national championships.
Free up space in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse to set the stage for
future renovations to the seating bowl, fan amenities and improved
student-athlete academic success, training, and performance areas.
Location
This new home for the football team will be in the north end zone of
Bobcat Stadium.
Benefits include:
• proximity to the training facilities
• provides sense of enclosure to the stadium, enhances intimacy and
increases home-field advantage
• creates a front door and face to the football stadium on Kagy
Boulevard and 11th Avenue.
Facility details and amenities
This facility will contain a new locker room for day-to-day use and
game-day use.
It will provide all necessary health, safety and training areas for the
football team and all student-athletes, including:
• new weight room
• nutrition refueling station
• training and rehab and recovery rooms.

It will be a showcase for recruiting, highlighting the history of MSU
football and giving recruits a glimpse of what life as a Bobcat can be. It
will provide the necessary spaces and tools for coaches including team
rooms, coaches’ offices, conference rooms and video analysis
It also includes the new academic center in the fieldhouse.
I believe it is critical we get a shovel in the ground for this by this summer. They have been using this as a selling point to recruits for the last two years. If we don’t get going on this, the football program will suffer. We are not keeping up with the competition.

I am disappointed that we fans are not hearing anything about where we are with this. Does it mean we are still far away? I hope not.
I too am on the "if you build it, they will come" theory of Coach Choate!

One other aspect of things, not talked about, but kind of relevant is that when it comes to fundraising, the longer you wait, the less chance to have of securing funding from whales and big donors. Let's face it, we are all getting older and there is no guarantees that the money will come in "next year"...so we have to make hay while we can. Get the shovels out, start digging, inspire giving, be accountable, and keep fanning the fires. Once we get the next piece, momentum builds on itself and I believe we will see more coming for the whole project. Wait, keep the silent phase silent...and (crickets)!



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by gtapp » Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:12 am

Was it ever stated how much the end zone/academic center would cost? I know costs can move around based on material and construction cost variations but is there a ballpark number?


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Catfanatic84
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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by Catfanatic84 » Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:49 am

gtapp wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:12 am
Was it ever stated how much the end zone/academic center would cost? I know costs can move around based on material and construction cost variations but is there a ballpark number?
Phase 1 is around $16 million. No idea how close we are...there was a $2 million anonymous donation last fall....so there must be a significant balance pledged.

My thought is, we as fans, give until it hurts, keep encouraging others, and hopefully we'll see shovels in dirt soon....

Once fans see some tangible progress, I think that will generate excitement and accelerate the project.



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FTG_1984
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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by FTG_1984 » Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:50 am

BUILD THE FACILITIES!!

BUILD THE WALL!!



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by GoCats18 » Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:53 am

I have a feeling that we must be close to having the money for phase 1. I am thinking that we will soon be seeing construction begin on the North Endzone. My only question, how long will it take to complete this? Would it be done by the time the season starts? Anyone know how long UM’s weight/locker room building took?


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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by iaafan » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:01 am

FTG_1984 wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:50 am
BUILD THE FACILITIES!!

BUILD THE WALL!!
GET MEXICO TO PAY FOR IT!!! ESTADIO LYNX RUFUS!!!



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The Butcher
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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by The Butcher » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:11 am

$40-$60 million is a big number, but for today I think paying the student athlete stipend like NDSU and UND would be a huge impact for recruiting!



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by AFCAT » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:12 am

GoCats18 wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:53 am
I have a feeling that we must be close to having the money for phase 1. I am thinking that we will soon be seeing construction begin on the North Endzone. My only question, how long will it take to complete this? Would it be done by the time the season starts? Anyone know how long UM’s weight/locker room building took?
The end zone facility will probably take close to a year to complete. The similar griz center took two years to complete.


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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by bobcat99 » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:24 am

gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 10:05 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:45 pm
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:41 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:09 pm
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:05 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:47 pm
"...help everyone understand that we're not that far away."
I believe we are far away. Very far away. MSU has always had difficulty with this and the money they raise cannot all go toward football related facilities. I hope I am wrong but I would expect little (if any) improvement for 5 more years.
So you think Choate misspoke?
NO, Choate is pushing as hard as he can and doing everything he can by producing a winning team under the current facility plan. I just think it will be harder than he realizes. We need a lot of money. The stadium alone needs about $30M and the indoor practice facility is job one so make that $45 M. Since other facilities cannot be ignored make that $60M plus. I just don't see that happening in less than 5-10 maybe even 15 years. We don't get much just replacing the east side stands. It will look better and line up with the end zone but it produces about the same number of seats and does not change the overall stadium much. BUT, it has to be done second (after the indoor practice facility) because it is falling apart. S9 again, $45 - $60 million before a lot of stadium improvements. NOw an indoor practice facility will help but I believe that what really matters to recruits is the stadium they play in and maybe the locker rooms/weight room(s).
He's not talking about everything. Just the NEZ complex which is first. He even mentioned a bubble would be fine for right now.
If I was him I would want the NEZ first also but that would be difficult. THe indoor practice facility is used my almost every university sport and therefore they all benefit and all support it. The NEZ does not. When I toured the SDSU indoor facility I could see how they were using it. They were able to train their student athletes in a unique way that you could not do in a typical weight room setting. When you donate to the expansion project you have a choice. A donation for all of it or you can be specific. If they get a $15M donation from one source who says I want it to go to the stadium then we are on our way. If not Choate will have to fight for the money just like every other coach in the department. The indoor facility is an easy sell because football wins. recruiting improves and the other sports support the decision. Try selling a $15M+ end zone when the other sports see little facility improvement and the stadium just added about $12M+ a few years ago (end zone, turf, lights and scoreboard).

A bubble is still expensive and is more expensive as a whole once you replace it with a steel structure.
I understand the argument in regards to other sports...but other sports aren't making money. Sometimes men's basketball will, otherwise pretty much nothing but football makes money. So personally, I don't care if it's not fair.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by wapiti » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:44 am

What happened to the priority of making more suites/private boxes around the stadium?

I thought they generated more revenue per square foot then general seating???

Might even be able to get corporate/local business to sponsor a box. Company gets their name plastered on the front of the box and tickets to every game for a set number of years and MSU gets revenue.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by Mtcatfan » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:59 am

"Relaunch” the facilities fund drive" was suggested by AFCAT. I don't recall the "launch". If there was an initial launch it was poorly communicated.

If they were to break ground on the north endzone upgrades, they would need to start in the spring as soon as weather permits and then it may be completed by the start of the 2020 season.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by BelgradeBobcat » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:09 am

For sure won't see anything announced until after the legislative session. MSU and the entire university system's number one building priority is the renovation and conversion of Romney Gym into a classroom building. It would be bad politics to announce a football stadium improvement while that is being considered.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by 91catAlum » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:22 am

gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:41 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:09 pm
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:05 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:47 pm
"...help everyone understand that we're not that far away."
I believe we are far away. Very far away. MSU has always had difficulty with this and the money they raise cannot all go toward football related facilities. I hope I am wrong but I would expect little (if any) improvement for 5 more years.
So you think Choate misspoke?
NO, Choate is pushing as hard as he can and doing everything he can by producing a winning team under the current facility plan. I just think it will be harder than he realizes. We need a lot of money. The stadium alone needs about $30M and the indoor practice facility is job one so make that $45 M. Since other facilities cannot be ignored make that $60M plus. I just don't see that happening in less than 5-10 maybe even 15 years. We don't get much just replacing the east side stands. It will look better and line up with the end zone but it produces about the same number of seats and does not change the overall stadium much. BUT, it has to be done second (after the indoor practice facility) because it is falling apart. So again, $45 - $60 million before a lot of stadium improvements. NOw an indoor practice facility will help but I believe that what really matters to recruits is the stadium they play in and maybe the locker rooms/weight room(s).
You need to take another look at the facilities plan. Phase 1 is the North End Zone building. Period.

Cost is about $16 million. When Choate says that we are close, he's referring to that 16 million. And I'm sure he knows exactly where we're at, so if he says we're close, I think its a safe assumption that means we're more than half way there.

Beyond that, I think you're right that the indoor practice facility and East Side rebuild are many years away.
Last edited by 91catAlum on Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:37 am, edited 3 times in total.


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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by RobertCats » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:27 am

Soooooo, who is starting the GoFundMe page?



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by ilovethecats » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:46 am

I have the feeling we're pretty close to phase one.

In my experience with fundraising, once the public, and more importantly deep-pocket boosters, see their donations amount to something they can actually see, it tends to speed up the process a bit.

I feel that once we get close to completing the first phase, it will snowball a little bit and we'll see some progress faster.

But I agree that the full scope of the facilities plan won't be completed for a while. All we can hope for is that by the time it is all completed, it's not so far down the road where other schools are already doing bigger and better things.



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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by MSU Toddler » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:46 am

91catAlum wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:22 am
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:41 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:09 pm
gtapp wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:05 pm
Hawks86 wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:47 pm
"...help everyone understand that we're not that far away."
I believe we are far away. Very far away. MSU has always had difficulty with this and the money they raise cannot all go toward football related facilities. I hope I am wrong but I would expect little (if any) improvement for 5 more years.
So you think Choate misspoke?
NO, Choate is pushing as hard as he can and doing everything he can by producing a winning team under the current facility plan. I just think it will be harder than he realizes. We need a lot of money. The stadium alone needs about $30M and the indoor practice facility is job one so make that $45 M. Since other facilities cannot be ignored make that $60M plus. I just don't see that happening in less than 5-10 maybe even 15 years. We don't get much just replacing the east side stands. It will look better and line up with the end zone but it produces about the same number of seats and does not change the overall stadium much. BUT, it has to be done second (after the indoor practice facility) because it is falling apart. So again, $45 - $60 million before a lot of stadium improvements. NOw an indoor practice facility will help but I believe that what really matters to recruits is the stadium they play in and maybe the locker rooms/weight room(s).
You need to take another look at the facilities plan. Phase 1 is the North End Zone building. Period.

Cost is about $16 million. When Choate says that we are close, he's referring to that 16 million. And I'm sure he knows exactly where we're at, so if he says we're close, I think its a safe assumption that means we're more than half way there.

Beyond that, I think you're right that the indoor practice facility and East Side rebuild are many years away.
Spoke with a significant MSU donor about this recently. Their understanding is that we are at around $12M of the $16M needed for Phase 1. They believe that 80-90% of funds needed for improvements like this (i.e., the recent end zone project) must come in large chunks for significant donors in order to rally the masses for the smaller donations that fill in the holes and think this is tactic of MSU. They believed we are 1-2 significant donations away from making a public push. Just the hearsay messenger on this one...


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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by AFCAT » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:47 am

BelgradeBobcat wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:09 am
For sure won't see anything announced until after the legislative session. MSU and the entire university system's number one building priority is the renovation and conversion of Romney Gym into a classroom building. It would be bad politics to announce a football stadium improvement while that is being considered.
Bingo!


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Re: Facilities - Coach Choate

Post by AFCAT » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:48 am

RobertCats wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:27 am
Soooooo, who is starting the GoFundMe page?
http://www.msuaf.org/msuathleticcomplex


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