East Hartford’s Rentschler Field needs $63 million upgrade, new study says. ‘like walking into a time capsule’

[CL82]

There was plenty of opposition from the town. It never even got the "lawsuit stage". That would imply it was approved. Never even got to that stage.

So, how exactly did this opposition manifest itself? To what exactly were they opposed to? The stadium deal in Hartford, or the stadium deal in East Hartford?

So you said it wasn’t approved? To whom was approval submitted? Did they go before any local planning boards? Perhaps it was environmental hearings? I mean, for something “not to have been approved“ they would’ve had to ask someone for approval, right?

You know what? Let’s try some thing more fundamental, where was the supposed proposed stadium site in Storrs?

 

[DoctorWho85]

I seem to be in the minority here, but I love The Rent. It has great views, ample parking, it's easy to get to and it's just a nice stadium to be at for a football game. I'm not saying I won't go to Storrs, because I absolutely will, but there is no way you're getting Hartford on board to build a stadium in Storrs after the state basically funded The Rent.

 

[CL82]

I seem to be in the minority here, but I love The Rent. It has great views, ample parking, it's easy to get to and it's just a nice stadium to be at for a football game. I'm not saying I won't go to Storrs, because I absolutely will, but there is no way you're getting Hartford on board to build a stadium in Storrs after the state basically funded The Rent.

I love the Rent as well and I absolutely agree with everything that you said. It doesn’t make sense to build in Storrs when there is a viable stadium in East Hartford. The question is how much money should be invested in East Hartford to extend the stadium beyond its normal useful life. When that question comes up, one of the things that ought to be thought about is investing in a new stadium which will have its entire useful life ahead of it, rather than extending Rentschler field beyond its useful life until we end up with a Hartford Civic Center situation.

Link

 

[UConnJim]

For now, the Rent is fine. As stated previously, why is anybody surprised that a 20 year old building needs maintenance? In my opinion, the issue is the Rent is owned by the state, managed by a quasi government agency, and used by UConn. That's crazy. Why would any rich alumnus donate to do upgrades at the Rent when it is owned by the state and not owned by the university? See how donors came forward for the new soccer field, football practice facilities, ...

As for an on campus stadium, in my opinion, the best location would be the current location of EO Smith High School. It's at the junction of 195 and 275. Heck, there is already a football field there. Move the high school to another location in Mansfield and continue to develop Storrs Center.

One day, Connecticut will have a governor that says UConn will be an economic growth engine for Eastern Connecticut and designate Storrs a town that is separate from Mansfield.

 

[CL82]

As for an on campus stadium, in my opinion, the best location would be the current location of EO Smith High School. It's at the junction of 195 and 275. Heck, there is already a football field there. Move the high school to another location in Mansfield and continue to develop Storrs Center.

I believe that was considered as a site for the new hockey stadium. The university offered to build Mansfield a new high school on the Mansfield training center property in exchange for their giving up the EO Smith property. Mansfield turned them down.

Stop and think about that. The geniuses in Mansfield had the opportunity to have a brand new state of the art high school on a beautiful campus and instead kept EO Smith.

Shrugs

 

[uconnfan68]

Things change. People die. The opposition to it was 25 years ago.

Hell, in 3 years time in Farmington we went from historic turnout on paying for a school. 2-1 no. To a 2-1 yes.

People sometimes get hung up on things they are uncomfortable with. Mansfield has changed so much since 1995-96 that I think it’s a much easier sell. UConn’s grown massively since then.

And UConn would be so much more between I84 and I384/whatever the road to Providence would be.

 

[WrenchFan69]

I believe that was considered as a site for the new hockey stadium. The university offered to build Mansfield a new high school on the Mansfield training center property in exchange for their giving up the EO Smith property. Mansfield turned them down.

Stop and think about that. The geniuses in Mansfield had the opportunity to have a brand new state of the art high school on a beautiful campus and instead kept EO Smith.

Shrugs

Anything to spite the driving force of every inch of that town's success

 

[uconnric]

So, how exactly did this opposition manifest itself? To what exactly were they opposed to? The stadium deal in Hartford, or the stadium deal in East Hartford?

So you said it wasn’t approved? To whom was approval submitted? Did they go before any local planning boards? Perhaps it was environmental hearings? I mean, for something “not to have been approved“ they would’ve had to ask someone for approval, right?

You know what? Let’s try some thing more fundamental, where was the supposed proposed stadium site in Storrs?

Horse barn Hill. Guess you weren’t paying attention.

 

[CL82]

Horse barn Hill. Guess you weren’t paying attention.

So you’re saying that the university announced a plan to put the stadium on Horsebarn Hill that was opposed by Mansfield residence and then abandoned? Interesting. I guess I must’ve missed that.

Do you have answers for the other questions as well?

 

[Kolumbo]

Build a brand new state of the art high tech stadium in Windsor Locks near the airport or the river which would be home to both the Huskies and the Minutemen. Split the cost and it would be used twice as often. A smaller version of SoFi Stadium

View attachment 79724

Tough crowd, I tell ya, I get no respect

 

[FfldCntyFan]

82,

I'll let you in on a little secret: you not know about or not remembering something doesn't mean it didn't happen. There's a very big world out there and quite a few things occur beyond the scope of your purview.

I remember the Horsebarn Hill proposal but IIRC, it never moved beyond proposal stage as there was too much opposition. If P&W hadn't come up with the k]land donation, our football upgrade was at risk of ending up on the cutting room floor.

I also remember the opposition to Gampel, prior to groundbreaking and the facility having a name. They had to lie about what the capacity would be (it was listed at 5,600, not the 8,200 it opened with) and they intentionally did not disclose that the capacity could be increased (capacity now is slightly above 10,000).

Out of curiosity, what would the economics be to put a stadium on campus (for sake of this argument we can assume no opposition)? What do you estimate the cost being? We can use 40k as capacity or, if you prefer we can open with a different number. I would love to hear your thoughts on the cost of a construction project this size.

 

[CL82]

I'll let you in on a little secret: you not know about or not remembering something doesn't mean it didn't happen. There's a very big world out there and quite a few things occur beyond the scope of your purview.

I remember the Horsebarn Hill proposal but IIRC, it never moved beyond proposal stage as there was too much opposition. If P&W hadn't come up with the k]land donation, our football upgrade was at risk of ending up on the cutting room floor.

No doubt about it. Do you have a link regarding the proposal? I remember the University who is going to put a Pfizer research facility on Horsebarn Hill. Could that be what you’re thinking of?

I also remember the opposition to Gampel, prior to groundbreaking and the facility having a name. They had to lie about what the capacity would be (it was listed at 5,600, not the 8,200 it opened with) and they intentionally did not disclose that the capacity could be increased (capacity now is slightly above 10,000).

There was opposition to Gampel, yet it got built, right? I’m pretty sure the Peoples Republic of Mansfield has opposed every building since the Storrs brothers first donated the land and yet buildings keep going up. .

Out of curiosity, what would the economics be to put a stadium on campus (for sake of this argument we can assume no opposition)? What do you estimate the cost being? We can use 40k as capacity or, if you prefer we can open with a different number. I would love to hear your thoughts on the cost of a construction project this size.

I have never looked into it so I don’t have an estimate. I’m confident it wouldn’t be an insurmountable number.

 

[Nostical]

Things change. People die. The opposition to it was 25 years ago.

The university offered to build Mansfield a new high school on the Mansfield training center property in exchange for their giving up the EO Smith property. Mansfield turned them down.

That's what I've been saying throughout this thread.
1.--What happened in the past should inform us--but not impede us--- because people and circumstances are always changing.
2.--Nothing will happen without smart leadership that can generate excitement, galvanize support, raise the money and (maybe most importantly) determine the price they have to pay to gain support from those who oppose it. The EO Smith example is instructive. What else might have made that happen? As the saying goes,'everyone has a price. The key is finding out what it is".

​

 

[LIUCHusky]

82,

I'll let you in on a little secret: you not know about or not remembering something doesn't mean it didn't happen. There's a very big world out there and quite a few things occur beyond the scope of your purview.

I remember the Horsebarn Hill proposal but IIRC, it never moved beyond proposal stage as there was too much opposition. If P&W hadn't come up with the k]land donation, our football upgrade was at risk of ending up on the cutting room floor.

I also remember the opposition to Gampel, prior to groundbreaking and the facility having a name. They had to lie about what the capacity would be (it was listed at 5,600, not the 8,200 it opened with) and they intentionally did not disclose that the capacity could be increased (capacity now is slightly above 10,000).

Out of curiosity, what would the economics be to put a stadium on campus (for sake of this argument we can assume no opposition)? What do you estimate the cost being? We can use 40k as capacity or, if you prefer we can open with a different number. I would love to hear your thoughts on the cost of a construction project this size.

There was never any proposal or thought of building a stadium in the horse barn hill area. The stadium proposed by Governor Rowland was planned to be built north of North Campus. It was to be built in the general area of the current tennis courts.

 

[CL82]

There was never any proposal or thought of building a stadium in the horse barn hill area. The stadium proposed by Governor Rowland was planned to be built north of North Campus. It was to be built in the general area of the current tennis courts.

Yep. It failed in the legislature due to cost because it included the stadium, the equivalent of the Burton facility and the equivalent of the Shenkman building at an enormous price tag. UConn ended up building Burton and Shankman largely from private funds.

 

[LIUCHusky]

Yep. It failed in the legislature due to cost because it included the stadium, the equivalent of the Burton facility and the equivalent of the Shenkman building at an enormous price tag. UConn ended up building Burton and Shankman largely from private funds.

It never came up for a vote in the legislature. I believe it was Barbara Kennelly (John Bailey's daughter) who nixed it in a public appearance when she was running for governor. It never gained traction after that.

 

[CL82]

It never came up for a vote in the legislature. I believe it was Barbara Kennelly (John Bailey's daughter) who nixed it in a public appearance when she was running for governor. It never gained traction after that.

Great memory! I have vague recollections of there being quotes about the cost by representatives in the Courant, but your recollection seems much more specific and is probably correct.

I took a quick look at Wikipedia and found the following quote

Maybe both are correct?

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Yep. It failed in the legislature due to cost because it included the stadium, the equivalent of the Burton facility and the equivalent of the Shenkman building at an enormous price tag. UConn ended up building Burton and Shankman largely from private funds.

Interesting, they wanted to build the stadium on what is now Discovery Drive, the tennis courts are there. I back that location for our potential on-campus FB stadium. Close enough so students can walk there for football games and walk there if it is used for graduation ceremonies. It also leads to Route 44 so local cops can block access to 195 through Mansfield Center during game days. (Less reason for residents to be concerned about traffic impact) If someone tries to say that land is reserved for companies who want to build research facilities to link with UConn, there is still plenty of land near there for a stadium, parking and tailgating. If anything, if they build meeting rooms as part of the stadium project to house gatherings during games, they could be used by the companies for their meetings on research activities on other days. Given this location, the stadium will help promote UConn as a destination and brand for not only football but commercial research.

 

[BPT2Storrs]

We can talk funding, location, infrastructure all day - this is not the real reason a football stadium has not been built it or will Be built anytime soon. It all comes down to political will. Even if they could find a site the small yet vocal opposition will do everything to stop it from happening - no politician wants to deal with that.

 

[Nostical]

As for a new on-campus stadium being “wasteful spending”, let me remind you what wasteful spending actually looks like in the State of CT.

Yes, there's the previously discussed debacle of I-384 to Providence, but who can forget the absurdity of the intricate I-84 Interstate Stack to nowhere near Farmington, a project from the 1960's that couldn't overcome the environmentalists and the monied residents. It was described in a hearing as "a four-level monstrosity soaring to the height of a five-story building spread over more than 200 acres of land about the size of Disneyland." It's still standing as a lasting tribute to governmental incompetence.


But they all fail to meet the absurdity standard of Rte 11.

Rte 11 was originally a $13M project to connect Colchester to New London and I-95. Started in 1963 with a completion date of 1969, it was halted after being only half finished in 1972 due to financing issues. Later attempts to finish it got delayed and obstructed by the usual suspects (homeowners, environmentalists, archeologists, etc) to the point where in 1984 project costs to finish the last half of the roadway rose to $350M, then with some efficiencies in the plan, there was a "modest increase" to $410M by 2002 but when the project was last revived in 2011 the cost had risen to (get ready for it) $1B. Finally, in 2016 the Fed Highway Admin closed the project down for good.

Now go pay your taxes.

 

[CL82]

Interesting, they wanted to build the stadium on what is now Discovery Drive, the tennis courts are there. I back that location for our potential on-campus FB stadium. Close enough so students can walk there for football games and walk there if it is used for graduation ceremonies. It also leads to Route 44 so local cops can block access to 195 through Mansfield Center during game days. (Less reason for residents to be concerned about traffic impact) If someone tries to say that land is reserved for companies who want to build research facilities to link with UConn, there is still plenty of land near there for a stadium, parking and tailgating. If anything, if they build meeting rooms as part of the stadium project to house gatherings during games, they could be used by the companies for their meetings on research activities on other days. Given this location, the stadium will help promote UConn as a destination and brand for not only football but commercial research.

Logistically, Discovery Drive is the location that is easiest to get people in and out of. I believe that it requires approvals from Mansfield that are not required on the Separatist Tract. I am fine with either location, but I lean towards the Separatist Tract because of that in the fact that I like the efficiency of a single athletic campus which lets us use the same parking a lot for different events.

 

[CL82]

We can talk funding, location, infrastructure all day - this is not the real reason a football stadium has not been built it or will Be built anytime soon. It all comes down to political will. Even if they could find a site the small yet vocal opposition will do everything to stop it from happening - no politician wants to deal with that.

Personally, absent circumstances which require local board approval, I don’t think the people of Mansfield have the throw weight to influence the entire state legislature. But we can agree to disagree on that.

 

[huskymedic]

Logistically, Discovery Drive is the location that is easiest to get people in and out of. I believe that it requires approvals from Mansfield that are not required on the Separatist Tract.

University of Connecticut property:

For reference - the notch off Rt195 on right side is the Mansfield Supply property (9.23.13 & 9.23.14)

 

[LBird33]

Interesting, they wanted to build the stadium on what is now Discovery Drive, the tennis courts are there. I back that location for our potential on-campus FB stadium. Close enough so students can walk there for football games and walk there if it is used for graduation ceremonies. It also leads to Route 44 so local cops can block access to 195 through Mansfield Center during game days. (Less reason for residents to be concerned about traffic impact) If someone tries to say that land is reserved for companies who want to build research facilities to link with UConn, there is still plenty of land near there for a stadium, parking and tailgating. If anything, if they build meeting rooms as part of the stadium project to house gatherings during games, they could be used by the companies for their meetings on research activities on other days. Given this location, the stadium will help promote UConn as a destination and brand for not only football but commercial research.

Claim it’s indigenous peoples land and add a casino with the stadium It gets done

 

[Nostical]

The small yet vocal opposition will do everything to stop it from happening - no politician wants to deal with that.

I get the difficulty but it's doable. A smart and savvy politician, who first galvanizes significant local support can get it done. For example, if the most vocal opponent is a former fire chief, perhaps Mansfield needs a new fire station and a few new trucks--lol.

Let's take a look at a place where it was done successfully. I believe the poster child for the process is the U of Minnesota.

The University pushed for a new on-campus stadium for football beginning in the fall of 2000, citing poor revenue and lack of a college football atmosphere at the off-campus Metrodome as their main reasons for wanting to move back on campus. (Sound familiar?)

The university concentrated on drafting a stadium proposal that would draw the support of state politicians.They went through the bumps and grinds of the legislative process and ultimately built this stadium (which seats 50,000).



Construction started in 2006 and it opened in 2009. The total cost was $288M. (Today, I don't know, $400M?)

As a product of negotiations in the legislature, 52% was borne by the University and 48% by the State of Minnesota The University then sold naming rights to a large bank, received parking and concession revenue, charged a modest $25 fee per student and engaged in smart PR, They built a Native American Plaza and received a $14.5M donation from the local Mdewakanton tribe. (Notice any similarities for us here in CT?) They also built a Marching band facility next to the stadium for easy access. (we lack any band facility, unlike UMass, which has a great one.) UMinn raised a lot of money from music alumni and the music industry.

They were also savvy to put plaques in the stadium walls honoring every county in the state, since all of them contributed. And on and on and on.

We don't need a stadium that large, but UM's is a great place to start. As Mora says "hard things are hard"--but not impossible. Don't tell me it can't be done in CT.