(04-28-2018 10:01 PM)brock20 Wrote:  If you could take Freedom Hall and move it eaither on campus or near campus downtown and stretch the space behind the baskets to allow bleachers then it would be perfect. I think everyone has really liked the move to Freedom but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal.

I think what James Madison is building is the perfect arena size

http://jmuconvo.com

That is reallly nice. A lot of their ability to be able to fund that type of structure seems to me to stem from the success of their football program. One of which is the best in "FCS" football. I'd take us in basketball any day over them, our football program is still a work in progress at this point. Although, a deep run in the ncaa tourney or a fcs football national title (which they have 2 i think?) would help expedite the process

The things that limit me giving it a thumbs up are: 1) the lobby/concourse area(s) are way too small; we're lining up outside cause you can't gather inside the entrance. And it's quirky that the narrow concourse doesn't even go all the way around. 2) ingress/egress - I guess it's a good problem to have a lot of traffic but it's confusing and sometimes dangerous driving in and out of the parking areas. And walking from the parking areas to/from the entrance engages foot traffic with vehicle traffic too much. And try telling someone from out of town how to get there.
The game atmosphere is great once I get in my seat (except I wish we had the scoreboard hanging from the ceiling). Not trying to belittle but I have an opinion.

(04-28-2018 09:16 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Totally agree. Freedom Hall, since the renovations, has become a D1 arena. There will be more upgrades in the future.

There are still some that continue to try and belittle Freedom Hall but by far the majority like it.

As much as I don't like Freedom Hall, I do agree that it is a division 1 arena and it beats many of our peers in the conference. In many ways it is better than the Dome, and in some ways it is worse, but I would imagine that everyone could agree that if we were to envision a new arena- it wouldn't be anything similar to what Freedom Hall is even with the renovations. That is the point, and the reason that many of us would like a new arena.

(04-28-2018 10:01 PM)brock20 Wrote:  If you could take Freedom Hall and move it eaither on campus or near campus downtown and stretch the space behind the baskets to allow bleachers then it would be perfect. I think everyone has really liked the move to Freedom but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal.

I think what James Madison is building is the perfect arena size

http://jmuconvo.com

Who picking up the balance of this ..... $88 million - only $12 million in donations? Or, did I miss that episode?

(04-29-2018 12:56 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(04-28-2018 10:01 PM)brock20 Wrote:  If you could take Freedom Hall and move it eaither on campus or near campus downtown and stretch the space behind the baskets to allow bleachers then it would be perfect. I think everyone has really liked the move to Freedom but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal.

I think what James Madison is building is the perfect arena size

http://jmuconvo.com

Who picking up the balance of this ..... $88 million - only $12 million in donations? Or, did I miss that episode?

JMU broke ground on this thing on Friday. Very jealous. Supposed to be opening in 2020. They announced plans to build the arena back in 2015.





http://www.whsv.com/content/news/JMU-bre...14311.html

2.25 million is coming from naming rights but that is included in the $12 million. I assume the rest will come from bonds issued by the state but I have no clue.

(04-30-2018 11:11 AM)brock20 Wrote:  

(04-29-2018 12:56 PM)Buc66 Wrote:  

(04-28-2018 10:01 PM)brock20 Wrote:  If you could take Freedom Hall and move it eaither on campus or near campus downtown and stretch the space behind the baskets to allow bleachers then it would be perfect. I think everyone has really liked the move to Freedom but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal.

I think what James Madison is building is the perfect arena size

http://jmuconvo.com

Who picking up the balance of this ..... $88 million - only $12 million in donations? Or, did I miss that episode?

JMU broke ground on this thing on Friday. Very jealous. Supposed to be opening in 2020. They announced plans to build the arena back in 2015.





http://www.whsv.com/content/news/JMU-bre...14311.html

2.25 million is coming from naming rights but that is included in the $12 million. I assume the rest will come from bonds issued by the state but I have no clue.

ETSU could have one of these underway if it took only $12 million in private donations.

No, 12m won't get it started.

Before any building can be started. The funding for the whole project has to be in place and be approved by the Tenn building commission.

I enjoy watching games at Freedom Hall. It gives us a decent home court but it has drawbacks as have been stated. To me the facilities and being on a middle school campus are the major drawbacks. We should be planning on creating one on or near campus but I really dread the process as the "anti" people will come out strong against it and oppose it viciously egged on by the local media. It will be a long and difficult undertaking and probably means that we will remain the only university in the state system without an on-campus basketball/event center for a very, very long time.

One of the advantages of having it off or slightly off campus is there is the potential to sell beer. Freedom Hall has that potential once they get the school cafeteria and gym out of there, which I hear is in the works. I think that would probably boost attendance some too. That would be a big thing in my opinion. It seemed to really help the Johnson City Cardinals anyway.

I would love to see the city and university come together on something like this, and it would also bring in bigger events and concerts for the area. Probably 10 to 20 years out, but I could see that being the best option financially.

What are the financial details of ETSU playing at Freedom Hall?
How much money does ETSU lose to Johnson City at non ETSU Events?
How much student participation do you lose because the Arena isn't on campus?
If Freedom Hall is such a great deal; why doesn't the Women's Basketball Team play their games in the facility?

Elon University Schar Center
https://werarch.com/projects/elon-univer...har-center

Schar Center
Team: Elon Phoenix
Capacity: 5,100
Opening Date: Fall 2018
Cost: 20 million

(05-01-2018 08:31 AM)maddvector Wrote:  Elon University Schar Center
https://werarch.com/projects/elon-univer...har-center

Schar Center
Team: Elon Phoenix
Capacity: 5,100
Opening Date: Fall 2018
Cost: 20 million

We would need at least 7-8k seating but yeah this looks alright. I think we could get what we want for 40-50 million.

https://www.elon.edu/u/schar-center/

(05-01-2018 08:19 AM)maddvector Wrote:  What are the financial details of ETSU playing at Freedom Hall?
How much money does ETSU lose to Johnson City at non ETSU Events?
How much student participation do you lose because the Arena isn't on campus?
If Freedom Hall is such a great deal; why doesn't the Women's Basketball Team play their games in the facility?

Much to my surprise, student participation has increased since we moved to Freedom Hall. It would increase even more if we didn't give them the worst seats.

The women's basketball team apparently doesn't want to play in Freedom Hall, and I don't blame them. Brooks Gym is a much better home court advantage for them than Freedom Hall would be.

Our contract with Freedom Hall is $2,000 per game, $15,000 up front before the first game for event parking (which makes no sense to me), and $3,000 up front before the season to compensate the city for setup and teardown cost. I think we end up paying about $50k per season. But, you also have to take into consideration that the city spent a ton of money on that facility to get it in the shape it is today.

(05-01-2018 09:33 AM)brock20 Wrote:  

(05-01-2018 08:31 AM)maddvector Wrote:  Elon University Schar Center
https://werarch.com/projects/elon-univer...har-center

Schar Center
Team: Elon Phoenix
Capacity: 5,100
Opening Date: Fall 2018
Cost: 20 million

We would need at least 7-8k seating but yeah this looks alright. I think we could get what we want for 40-50 million.

https://www.elon.edu/u/schar-center/

$20/5100= $3,921.00 per seat
$3,921.00 x 7,500= $29,407,500.00

You already have a men's practice court, a women's practice court, and a first class gym. You don't need to spend more than $30-40 million on a new Arena.

Commercial construction costs are increasing at a rapid rate right now. Every major contractor has more work than they can handle. The way to slow down the faucet is to increase your price. As a local government manager, I can tell you there is no way we can build a 7500 seat arena for much less than $40 million.

If we are paying $50k/year for Freedom Hall, that is a very good bargain. We should continue to do that for now.

(05-01-2018 10:01 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  

(05-01-2018 08:19 AM)maddvector Wrote:  What are the financial details of ETSU playing at Freedom Hall?
How much money does ETSU lose to Johnson City at non ETSU Events?
How much student participation do you lose because the Arena isn't on campus?
If Freedom Hall is such a great deal; why doesn't the Women's Basketball Team play their games in the facility?

Much to my surprise, student participation has increased since we moved to Freedom Hall. It would increase even more if we didn't give them the worst seats.

The women's basketball team apparently doesn't want to play in Freedom Hall, and I don't blame them. Brooks Gym is a much better home court advantage for them than Freedom Hall would be.

Our contract with Freedom Hall is $2,000 per game, $15,000 up front before the first game for event parking (which makes no sense to me), and $3,000 up front before the season to compensate the city for setup and teardown cost. I think we end up paying about $50k per season. But, you also have to take into consideration that the city spent a ton of money on that facility to get it in the shape it is today.

Parking revenue goes to the city; so who gets all of the revenue from the concessions and I'm guessing ETSU gets the ticket revenue...

(05-01-2018 01:18 PM)maddvector Wrote:  Parking revenue goes to the city; so who gets all of the revenue from the concessions and I'm guessing ETSU gets the ticket revenue...

Don't know who gets the concessions revenue, but they could get a lot more if the drinks were cold and the popcorn was fresh.

I don't believe the parking money goes to the city. I think ETSU gets the money. You may want to check your source.

(05-01-2018 09:27 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  I don't believe the parking money goes to the city. I think ETSU gets the money. You may want to check your source.

etsubuc Wrote:Our contract with Freedom Hall is $2,000 per game, $15,000 up front before the first game for event parking (which makes no sense to me)

My source was the johnson city press.