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I’ll be very happy with a new NEZ announcement. I doubt we will be anywhere near phase 2 for a long time.

I'm getting confused about nomenclature. I thought it was assumed that NEZ would be a part of Phase II, is it not?

I don’t believe that to be the case. I believe since the NEZ was never renovated it is not considered part of phase II.

Ok, I think I've got it:

NEZ: Horseshoeing of the lower bowl, potential beer garden, moving of scoreboared
SEZ: Updating of Suites/Seats and potentially connecting to middle concourse
Phase II: Expansion of sideline suites and potential second deck on East/West sides

That about cover it?

I would think we'd have to do the NEZ and an upper deck at the same time in order to not lose too much seating capacity. Sounds like you guys think the difference can be made up by filling in the corners. Is that the case?

Problem is, the NEZ is a must for aesthetics and should increase student engagement and comfort. Its atrocious. But more suites are important for revenue generation, and they need to be on the sideline. So which comes first?

(08-20-2019 09:49 AM)monarx Wrote:  Problem is, the NEZ is a must for aesthetics and should increase student engagement and comfort. Its atrocious.

The students will be seated on the sidelines. So the NEZ no longer has an impact on student engagement or comfort.

The NEZ is key to retaining fans who buy season tickets there. It's the worst section for sightlines and comfort and has consistently seen the worst turnover in regards to renewals. If we can turn it into a revenue generator with a high retention rate, it'll pay for itself over time and should help grow the fanbase.

Here is how I see the future mods playing out.
1) NEZ renovation which includes moving scoreboard, adding seating to fill in bowl, and creating an events / student activities space ($5-10M)
2) Updating the SEZ and adding luxury boxes/suites to the East Side stands. ($5-10M)

Step 1 and Step 2 will have to be funded with private donations. I don't think ODU can figure away to tie Step 1 to public funding through the state.

Honestly I don't think we grow beyond the 25K seating capacity unless we change conferences. At that time a decision will be made to add the Third deck to the east side.

(08-20-2019 12:18 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  Here is how I see the future mods playing out.
1) NEZ renovation which includes moving scoreboard, adding seating to fill in bowl, and creating an events / student activities space ($5-10M)
2) Updating the SEZ and adding luxury boxes/suites to the East Side stands. ($5-10M)

Step 1 and Step 2 will have to be funded with private donations. I don't think ODU can figure away to tie Step 1 to public funding through the state.

Honestly I don't think we grow beyond the 25K seating capacity unless we change conferences. At that time a decision will be made to add the Third deck to the east side.

Sounds about right. And $10-20 million honestly doesnt seem like an outrageous sum to raise. If Judy could raise our conference media payout back to $1.5-2m per school that would go a huge way toward paying for it. If we get in the AAC, the media payout alone could pay for the expansions.

Can you share some insight into why you don't think the NEZ can add classroom space, or even a whole building with bleachers attached to the back, and make it so we could use state funds for part of it. Seems like they could build a curved building facing north away from the stadium and attach the seating to the back and a rooftop terrace. All but the terrace and seating could be paid for by the state if its classroom space. Physical Therapy seems ideal.

(08-20-2019 12:49 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:18 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  Here is how I see the future mods playing out.
1) NEZ renovation which includes moving scoreboard, adding seating to fill in bowl, and creating an events / student activities space ($5-10M)
2) Updating the SEZ and adding luxury boxes/suites to the East Side stands. ($5-10M)

Step 1 and Step 2 will have to be funded with private donations. I don't think ODU can figure away to tie Step 1 to public funding through the state.

Honestly I don't think we grow beyond the 25K seating capacity unless we change conferences. At that time a decision will be made to add the Third deck to the east side.

Sounds about right. And $10-20 million honestly doesnt seem like an outrageous sum to raise. If Judy could raise our conference media payout back to $1.5-2m per school that would go a huge way toward paying for it. If we get in the AAC, the media payout alone could pay for the expansions.

Can you share some insight into why you don't think the NEZ can add classroom space, or even a whole building with bleachers attached to the back, and make it so we could use state funds for part of it. Seems like they could build a curved building facing north away from the stadium and attach the seating to the back and a rooftop terrace. All but the terrace and seating could be paid for by the state if its classroom space. Physical Therapy seems ideal.

A dual purpose NEZ has been one of Wood's visions for over a year. He actually approached me about leasing office space there. The vision is to have useable office/retail spaces under the stadium to defer costs. There are a lot of logistics to overcome to make that a reasonable idea, IMO. I don't think it's likely to become a reality. UNLESS, a brewery decides to take over the space. In theory, they'd need far fewer parking spaces than an office since they'd be drawing foot traffic from the University and surrounding neighborhoods. It'd also tie in perfectly to game day atmosphere.

(08-20-2019 01:02 PM)T-Mac Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:49 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:18 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  Here is how I see the future mods playing out.
1) NEZ renovation which includes moving scoreboard, adding seating to fill in bowl, and creating an events / student activities space ($5-10M)
2) Updating the SEZ and adding luxury boxes/suites to the East Side stands. ($5-10M)

Step 1 and Step 2 will have to be funded with private donations. I don't think ODU can figure away to tie Step 1 to public funding through the state.

Honestly I don't think we grow beyond the 25K seating capacity unless we change conferences. At that time a decision will be made to add the Third deck to the east side.

Sounds about right. And $10-20 million honestly doesnt seem like an outrageous sum to raise. If Judy could raise our conference media payout back to $1.5-2m per school that would go a huge way toward paying for it. If we get in the AAC, the media payout alone could pay for the expansions.

Can you share some insight into why you don't think the NEZ can add classroom space, or even a whole building with bleachers attached to the back, and make it so we could use state funds for part of it. Seems like they could build a curved building facing north away from the stadium and attach the seating to the back and a rooftop terrace. All but the terrace and seating could be paid for by the state if its classroom space. Physical Therapy seems ideal.

A dual purpose NEZ has been one of Wood's visions for over a year. He actually approached me about leasing office space there. The vision is to have useable office/retail spaces under the stadium to defer costs. There are a lot of logistics to overcome to make that a reasonable idea, IMO. I don't think it's likely to become a reality. UNLESS, a brewery decides to take over the space. In theory, they'd need far fewer parking spaces than an office since they'd be drawing foot traffic from the University and surrounding neighborhoods. It'd also tie in perfectly to game day atmosphere.

Brewery would be awesome. Why not add a tutoring space underneath the NEZ and use funds from state to build a base for the NEZ. A merchandise store won't be a bad idea.Why not move the outdated quantico marine center underneath the NEZ and make space for tailgating or even add more greenery or what ever we need.

(08-20-2019 12:18 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  Here is how I see the future mods playing out.
1) NEZ renovation which includes moving scoreboard, adding seating to fill in bowl, and creating an events / student activities space ($5-10M)
2) Updating the SEZ and adding luxury boxes/suites to the East Side stands. ($5-10M)

Step 1 and Step 2 will have to be funded with private donations. I don't think ODU can figure away to tie Step 1 to public funding through the state.

Honestly I don't think we grow beyond the 25K seating capacity unless we change conferences. At that time a decision will be made to add the Third deck to the east side.

Hate to nitpick but I think your estimate is pretty low, unless you and I are just picturing two very different things.

1.1 You are assuming we are leaving the bleachers in place for that price, which I think is a mistake. Bleachers need to come down and need to build new seats to make the stadium look complete.

1.2 "Moving" the scoreboard. Are we just picking up what we already have? Or are we re-configuring the screen to make it more of a 16:9 ratio over the endzone? Because if we are re-configuring (if it doesn't reconfigure it's gonna look goofy) then that's more money.

Summary of #1: I assume we will demo existing bleachers and put up new seats and fill in the bowl, connecting the mezzanines together. I also assume the scoreboard will be changed, not merely moved. To me, this is more around a $15-20M expense.

2.1 Adding luxury boxes to east side. Is this filling in the mezzanine, or are they going above the level 2 structure? If they are filling in, this doesn't seem like a big expense, it's just adding walls and glass and seats. I think it will be more involved than that, but hard to tell since I haven't walked around that area to see how much space is there.

2.2 Upgrading SEZ. What kind of upgrades? New seats? New tv monitors? Refresh the paint? Or is there something more?

Summary of #2: $5-10M seems accurate, could be more depending on the level required for adding suites.

(08-20-2019 01:02 PM)T-Mac Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:49 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 12:18 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  Here is how I see the future mods playing out.
1) NEZ renovation which includes moving scoreboard, adding seating to fill in bowl, and creating an events / student activities space ($5-10M)
2) Updating the SEZ and adding luxury boxes/suites to the East Side stands. ($5-10M)

Step 1 and Step 2 will have to be funded with private donations. I don't think ODU can figure away to tie Step 1 to public funding through the state.

Honestly I don't think we grow beyond the 25K seating capacity unless we change conferences. At that time a decision will be made to add the Third deck to the east side.

Sounds about right. And $10-20 million honestly doesnt seem like an outrageous sum to raise. If Judy could raise our conference media payout back to $1.5-2m per school that would go a huge way toward paying for it. If we get in the AAC, the media payout alone could pay for the expansions.

Can you share some insight into why you don't think the NEZ can add classroom space, or even a whole building with bleachers attached to the back, and make it so we could use state funds for part of it. Seems like they could build a curved building facing north away from the stadium and attach the seating to the back and a rooftop terrace. All but the terrace and seating could be paid for by the state if its classroom space. Physical Therapy seems ideal.

A dual purpose NEZ has been one of Wood's visions for over a year. He actually approached me about leasing office space there. The vision is to have useable office/retail spaces under the stadium to defer costs. There are a lot of logistics to overcome to make that a reasonable idea, IMO. I don't think it's likely to become a reality. UNLESS, a brewery decides to take over the space. In theory, they'd need far fewer parking spaces than an office since they'd be drawing foot traffic from the University and surrounding neighborhoods. It'd also tie in perfectly to game day atmosphere.

Retail space is one thing. Dual purpose educational & events is another. The University will not explore using state funding to enable this to happen earlier.

Seems odd to me that the university would give up more precious land for retail, when we could use it for academics. Theres plenty of space on Hampton Blvd, or between Killam and Colley for brewerys. How about administrative offices or research space? Either way it would be dual purpose, support both academic and athletics, and would help cut the cost of the stadium renovation. And why wouldnt ODU explore using state funding? Seems like the type of no-brainer that you hear of other schools doing all the time.

The estimates that ODAF is working with for the NEZ are north of $15mm. From what I understand, the complications with state funding approval for dual purpose spaces (academic + athletic) is too complex for their liking and is looking like a non-starter. There are far fewer hoops to jump through with private funding.

The estimate just to MOVE the scoreboard is several millions of dollars.

The SEZ upgrade will include all of the above: seats, paint, TVs, etc. The bells and whistles on the new Priority Club make the SEZ suites look pretty weak. We need the revenue from the SEZ, so those deep pocket donors are getting a major overhaul in their suites very soon.

(08-20-2019 02:06 PM)monarx Wrote:  Seems odd to me that the university would give up more precious land for retail, when we could use it for academics. Theres plenty of space on Hampton Blvd, or between Killam and Colley for brewerys. How about administrative offices or research space? Either way it would be dual purpose, support both academic and athletics, and would help cut the cost of the stadium renovation. And why wouldnt ODU explore using state funding? Seems like the type of no-brainer that you hear of other schools doing all the time.

Makes sense to me. Could have some Sports Medicine classrooms/facilities there.

(08-20-2019 02:06 PM)monarx Wrote:  And why wouldnt ODU explore using state funding? Seems like the type of no-brainer that you hear of other schools doing all the time.

They need to retire other debt before taking on more state funding in the AD. The budgeted debt service expense on the stadium is maxed out for the current student fee rate. And they promised not to increase student fees for the stadium.

(08-20-2019 02:10 PM)T-Mac Wrote:  The estimates that ODAF is working with for the NEZ are north of $15mm. From what I understand, the complications with state funding approval for dual purpose spaces (academic + athletic) is too complex for their liking and is looking like a non-starter. There are far fewer hoops to jump through with private funding.

The estimate just to MOVE the scoreboard is several millions of dollars.

The SEZ upgrade will include all of the above: seats, paint, TVs, etc. The bells and whistles on the new Priority Club make the SEZ suites look pretty weak. We need the revenue from the SEZ, so those deep pocket donors are getting a major overhaul in their suites very soon.

The 15M estimate was fr all the bells and whistle. I was told they want to hold the total project cost to 10M. $1.5 to move the scoreboard and $8.5M for the new seating and events venue. The key is to define the scope of the student events venue. The events venue I assumed was more bare bones and open with some amenities to allow for concerts etc.

(08-20-2019 02:26 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(08-20-2019 02:06 PM)monarx Wrote:  And why wouldnt ODU explore using state funding? Seems like the type of no-brainer that you hear of other schools doing all the time.

They need to retire other debt before taking on more state funding in the AD. The budgeted debt service expense on the stadium is maxed out for the current student fee rate. And they promised not to increase student fees for the stadium.

Well if it’s duel purpose then it wouldn’t all be under the athletic department. The Ted is proportioned only 20% to athletics according to the athletic department financial statements. It’d still have to be approved by Richmond of course.

Page 10 shows the ADs long term debt you can see the percentage:

http://www.apa.virginia.gov/reports/OldD...AA2018.pdf

Your point still stands that we likely need some debt to retire before taking on more in the AD. But this might help on that front, guessing not to the degree of the Ted

Edit: It looks like we’re retiring about 3M per year for the next 5 years but this is before the new bonds for the stadium come into play.

As of September 17, we are at $38,000,000 or 95% of the goal

http://www.olddominionaf.com/

(09-17-2019 11:45 PM)cmett003 Wrote:  As of September 17, we are at $38,000,000 or 95% of the goal

http://www.olddominionaf.com/

Rake it up, rake it up.