(05-21-2018 04:37 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  These are good points about the multi-purpose arena. So how is fundraising going for the new Graduation Hall? How much is Harrisonburg/Rockingham County paying so the arena can hold concerts and events that benefit the community?

I feel like all the fundraising has been basketball centric, but I may have missed something.

If you ask me am I willing to donate more for a graduation hall and community event center my answer is probably No. I prefer to donate for a right size basketball arena.
If you ask my company are we willing to donate for a graduation hall and community event center the answer is absolutely No.

This one seems to have more muddy water than the Bridgeforth stadium project. Is the Arena going to be considered an athletic or non-athletic facility? I believe that impacts how JMU can pay for it according to state law.

This project is $20 million larger than Bridgeforth stadium. IMO, it is a pretty big deal.

BTW, I agree that shaving off 1500 or 2000 seats doesn’t create a proportional reduction in overall expense, but Concrete and Steel do have a cost and it ain’t cheap. On top of that the building must be climate controlled. If you reduce the cubic footage of airspace by 20% that adds up to significant HVAC cost savings over 40 years of building life not to mention the Green environment impact.

We saw some changes in Bridgeforth Stadium from beginning to end. It will be interesting to see what changes occur in the Union Bank & Trust Center from beginning to end.
Maybe there will be a version of Flapgate that kept us enthralled in 2011.

Just out of curiosity, how many seats are needed for May and December graduations? How many days are used for the ceremonies. I don’t know.

#ArenaNerd

My assumption is fundraising is going 'OK' since the project is underway, buildings being torn down and dirt moved. And they had a rather decent goal of $$$$ committed prior to starting. I think they are pretty much where they want to be as far the timeline goes.

I don't see why you want to rail against a project that has been long overdue.

They are building a medium sized multi-use arena for a university that has an enrollment of about @24k......seems about right and I assume they have conducted copious amounts of research to support the decision. Charlie King is not about wasting money.