(05-25-2018 05:34 AM)BleedingPurple Wrote: (05-24-2018 07:03 PM)Longhorn Wrote: (05-24-2018 03:08 PM)JMU13 Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:38 PM)Longhorn Wrote: (05-24-2018 01:15 PM)JMU13 Wrote: Really wish we bit the bullet and built one the right way - the new "50 yard" facility in what is now the convo will be outdated almost the second it's finished. Not much room for offense and defense to do separate activities in such a small space.
I would't jump to the conclusion that the convo rebuild won't be done the "right way'...and I sure don't think it will be "outdated" when finished.
I would agree that building new from the ground up would be best, and might actually be less expensive. That said, the rebuilt Convo will likely be a superior practice facility supporting many teams. As far as NDSU's plans, I'm surprised their practice facility doesn't look like an igloo.
I'm more referring to the limited space inside than aesthetics. While were on the subject, we know if they're remodeling the outside?
I dont think any plans (inside or outside) have been shared publicly, so it’s all guess work right now what a redone Convo will look like. The convo is bigger inside than many people realize, and I fully expect any practice field to be turned 180 degrees from the present orientation of the basketball court. If you look at the width of the seating areas added to the width of the basketball floor area, you’re already close to 65-70 yards (minimum). How much of the concourse areas get used is a guess, but there’s another 10-20 yards of practice surface. It will be expensive...very expensive...which is my biggest concern.
Yep, filling up the hole will be a major undertaking $$$ and then the height of the ceiling becomes an issue. If you think about the ceiling height from the floor as you would enter the building, it's limited. I really hope for a teardown and rebuild yet still make it something many sports can utilize. It sure is prime real estate to only have a practice facility sitting there.
Not an expert at all, but sure seems that a practice facility could be placed in the Convo parking lot and where the actual Convo sits something else go in that area.
Building new would be cheaper, and your suggestion of building on the parking lot sounds like a possibility that should be considered.
The inside height of the Convo is low when you enter, and seems low because we're always looking down from our seats onto the court. Look up, however, up to the highest row of seats, and you'll see that there is more height than impressions first suggest. I have no idea what an indoor ceiling height should be for FB, but like the possible indoor field length, what's available in height seems close to what's needed.
As a reminder, the existing floor of the convo was dug down...the reason players run down a ramp onto the court, and the floor level might even be dug lower if needed....but it's all still a matter of money.
As an all-purpose indoor training facility (one that might support other varsity teams) the Convo's location seems right. The parking and accessibility are right there, etc. If this project was just a FB-centric indoor facility, however, I'd build it where Goodwin is located. It would seem far more cost effective to save on duplication of a locker room, and provide easier access to the FB team on days when the weather was crappy.
I'd renovate the existing Convo to hold a new swimming and diving complex, along with a new Volleyball court, and move all Kinesiology related programs and other varsity sport main offices to the Convo. Less digging, etc....and possibly a whole lot less money to renovate the Convo...but a much bigger cost to tear down Godwin (including the existing student side), relocate utilities, move the student side so it connects to the endzone seating, and build a properly sized practice facility on the back side of the student seating. Yes, this suggestion might forgo the dream of one day building-out BFS to seat the 40-42k, but it would place the practice facility next to BFS, and if its done right, might expand seating on the student side by another 6-8k, enclose the horseshoe, and get seating to 30-32k (which should meet JMU's needs for a good long while).
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JMU Athletic Facilities
