The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/...iver_index

The stadium seems much less certain than I thought after amendment 14's passage.

Looks like the B'ham City Council will present themselves as an obstacle again. They're still hell-bent on the dome. Can this project realistically get done if the City Council remains opposed?

The article said the BJCC's debt refinancing will provide "some" of the funding, but where does the rest come from? I'm assuming Jeffco can pitch in some with the refinancing of their one cent sales tax, but if the City of Bham is expected to contribute the City Council has to sign off.

B'ham's first priority for future revenue development remains the MPF since it is the only year round money maker being put forward. If the BJCC will design the stadium without threatening the MPF in funding or location, B'ham will probably join the effort. I would like to see both built as each serves a particular need for all parties.

Doesn't sound like they are against it, just want it built on UAB property. I say that's even better. On second look, seems as if they may want us to foot the bill as well.

Yep they want us to pay for it which we were willing to do.

I just want a stadium and I don't give a rats butt in Denmark if it has a roof or not and it will do until we have a few deaths on the BOT (due to old age) and maybe some people thrown in jail and we can build our own.

During the stadium presentation it was said adding a roof would be an additional $175M(seemed kinda low to me) and members of the BJCC org were open to it. The idea was also floated to build the stadium initially as an open air stadium but with an eye towards adding a roof in the future. Not sure how feasible it is, but, perhaps, this would be a compromise...

If I were them I'd go ahead and go the more expensive route and add a retractable roof which would be much more practical. Nice days it's open and bad days we are comfortable. Best of both worlds and now t would allow the facility to be used for convention space. While costing more initially it will turn the facility from a venue that you only use a dozen times a year to over a hundred.

Doing this while costs more you open a new revenue stream and satisfy all parties. City gets its dome and football tennants get an open air stadium most days and the ability to stay dry in a monsoon.

(11-15-2016 08:08 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  If I were them I'd go ahead and go the more expensive route and add a retractable roof which would be much more practical. Nice days it's open and bad days we are comfortable. Best of both worlds and now t would allow the facility to be used for convention space. While costing more initially it will turn the facility from a venue that you only use a dozen times a year to over a hundred.

Doing this while costs more you open a new revenue stream and satisfy all parties. City gets its dome and football tennants get an open air stadium most days and the ability to stay dry in a monsoon.

That description sounds a lot like the MPF to me. Why not do the whole thing right the first time? The GA Dome manager, after the storm damaged it, said it had over 200 events scheduled so they wanted it repaired ASAP. B'ham could certainly use that kind of traffic and its revenue stream now going to other cities.

I don't think it matters much to the UAB faithful whether its enclosed or not...just that it gets built. The sooner the better.

It matters to some but not me if someone else is paying for it.

I'd rather it didn't have a roof, both so you play football as intended and because adding a retractable roof or dome to it doubles the cost. Double the cost and it gets much less likely to be built.

Attalla's right though - mostly I just want the damn thing built, asap.

Amendment 14 has passed...John Rogers is out of the way at last...Can the damn thing just be built, already?!

What this thread illustrates is the fact that while UAB and the City of B'ham have many common goals, they are not conjoined at the head twins. UAB can settle for an open air stadium for its needs while the city needs the MPF to attract the hundreds of events that can't use that kind of facility. It needs the MPF's capability to operate in all kinds of weather to lure in conventions, concerts, etc. now going to other cities.