Back in 2011, WKU approved a master plan with a completion date of 2017 for all projects. A few projects already were completed.

Among those that are being "aggressively pursued" for completion are:

-Indoor practice facility
-Renovated press box
-Softball IPF
-Diode banners above all 8 concourse terminals in Diddle Arena

Those are the most concrete, on paper projects that will likely be completed by 2017.

I also have someone within the football program who has told me that the locker room is going to be renovated as well as (I'm a little iffy on this one) making the stadium into a "horseshoe (adding seats to the stadium where the grassy berm is.)

WKU has always been serious about keeping up with athletics facilities and I cannot wait to see these come to fruition.

Some of the information is contained in the link below:

http://www.wbko.com/SportsInsider/headli...=phone&c=y

Indoor practice facility needed, and I'm sure the press box is piss poor. It needed upgrading 20 years ago.

(07-28-2015 06:31 AM)Theflash Wrote:  Indoor practice facility needed, and I'm sure the press box is piss poor. It needed upgrading 20 years ago.

The stadium press box was renovated when the stadium was done. The problem is that it is too small. Was not designed to support FBS level football in terms of the amount of people in the press box during a game. The other issue is access. The only way in and out is through the stands.

New Video ribbons are currently being added to Diddle Arena and will ready this fall. Also a new enhanced lighting system is also being installed to the arena as well as upgrading the sound system.

No reason to make the grass into seats or add seats to Smith. We can barely get 1 or 2 sell outs a year.

(07-28-2015 08:17 AM)CincyDave Wrote:  No reason to make the grass into seats or add seats to Smith. We can barely get 1 or 2 sell outs a year.

Adding seats would help you get more P5 teams into Bowling Green.

(07-28-2015 08:17 AM)CincyDave Wrote:  No reason to make the grass into seats or add seats to Smith. We can barely get 1 or 2 sell outs a year.

Disagree, enclosing the stadium on one side like a horse shoe to me would give more of a big time feel to it, those seats behind endzone will fill at least....Wish somehow the other end could be enclosed at least with a hill too to make the entire stadium enclosed...Eventually maybe will be a building behind there on Ave. of Champions where locker rooms are without seats, that would be big time if that happened...

My understanding is the berm will remain and the open endzone will be the one that gets additional seating added to it. When renovations were made on stadium last time. It was designed so that end zone could be wrapped around to enclose the stadium as a horse shoe with the berm and scoreboard being the "open end". This will push seating upwards to around 40k seats. However, until we start selling out consistently or season ticket holder numbers rise. That will not happen.

The indoor practice facility on the other hand should be in the works soon. Have heard cost estimates anywhere from $2-5 million for it. It will be behind the newer side of the stadium where the grass extra practice field currently is.

(07-28-2015 04:11 PM)Rojogrande Wrote:  My understanding is the berm will remain and the open endzone will be the one that gets additional seating added to it. When renovations were made on stadium last time. It was designed so that end zone could be wrapped around to enclose the stadium as a horse shoe with the berm and scoreboard being the "open end". This will push seating upwards to around 40k seats. However, until we start selling out consistently or season ticket holder numbers rise. That will not happen.

The indoor practice facility on the other hand should be in the works soon. Have heard cost estimates anywhere from $2-5 million for it. It will be behind the newer side of the stadium where the grass extra practice field currently is.

I heard today from my source it will be placed behind the Preston Center where the smaller parking lot is. It seems like a strange place to put it, and I agree that the IPF would be better suited to the grass behind the new part of the stadium, but *shrug*.

In addition to all of the items previously mentioned for football, I would like to see a net added between the post of the jumbotron to keep the ball from going into the street. Also, I would like to see a LED video ribbon installed on the new side to show stats and we can also sell advertising on it for additional revenue.

I've also heard the rumors about closing in the stadium to make a "horseshoe," however I have no idea how many more seats that would add. I do know that we can get up to ~45K seats by adding an upper deck to the new side when needed.

This is from an article in 2009.
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/selig-...6b4a5.html

Quote:Selig said the new portion of the stadium was erected in a fashion that could eventually allow WKU to place an upper deck atop the new side. Such an expansion would increase the stadium’s capacity to as many as 45,000 seats.

“Eventually, when we get to that point where we expand Houchens-Smith to 40 or 45,000 seats, absolutely,” he said. “We can then be in a position where this particular game makes a lot of sense to play in Bowling Green.

“The design work has been done, the architectural work has been done to allow for future expansion of Houchens-Smith Stadium.”

The bigger the support, the better. Hope WKU gets an IPF soon -- but not before MT! :D

(07-28-2015 04:21 PM)SigNuTopper Wrote:  

(07-28-2015 04:11 PM)Rojogrande Wrote:  My understanding is the berm will remain and the open endzone will be the one that gets additional seating added to it. When renovations were made on stadium last time. It was designed so that end zone could be wrapped around to enclose the stadium as a horse shoe with the berm and scoreboard being the "open end". This will push seating upwards to around 40k seats. However, until we start selling out consistently or season ticket holder numbers rise. That will not happen.

The indoor practice facility on the other hand should be in the works soon. Have heard cost estimates anywhere from $2-5 million for it. It will be behind the newer side of the stadium where the grass extra practice field currently is.

I heard today from my source it will be placed behind the Preston Center where the smaller parking lot is. It seems like a strange place to put it, and I agree that the IPF would be better suited to the grass behind the new part of the stadium, but *shrug*.

There is already a shortage of parking on campus as it is now. They aren't going to cut more out without building another structure. Sources I have told me more then once over last few years it would be where the current practice field is. That is why that portion of open space has been left alone in construction around campus.

If they want to add parking...just build a 2nd level to Egypt or put another garage up somewhere over a surface lot. No reason to waste green space on surface parking.

(07-28-2015 06:37 AM)GreekTopper Wrote:  

(07-28-2015 06:31 AM)Theflash Wrote:  Indoor practice facility needed, and I'm sure the press box is piss poor. It needed upgrading 20 years ago.

The stadium press box was renovated when the stadium was done. The problem is that it is too small. Was not designed to support FBS level football in terms of the amount of people in the press box during a game. The other issue is access. The only way in and out is through the stands.

Before USM added the suits in 2008 the best way for coaches to get to the pressbox was through the stands....the other alternative was using the ramp but that probably took longer. USM's pressbox is still way below standard IMO and needs some serious renovation/upgrades

(07-29-2015 06:22 AM)CincyDave Wrote:  If they want to add parking...just build a 2nd level to Egypt or put another garage up somewhere over a surface lot. No reason to waste green space on surface parking.

Word on the street is Egypt is laying on top of a karst void, aka a big ol' nasty cave the region is famous for. Shouldn't even be supporting all those cars and pavement. I heard PFT and its lot is a ticking timebomb as well.

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All of bowling green is sitting on top of a karst void. Corvette museum, huge sinkhole in front of lost river, etc

(08-10-2015 01:34 PM)Jack Bauer Wrote:  All of bowling green is sitting on top of a karst void. Corvette museum, huge sinkhole in front of lost river, etc

Exactly

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