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

[DoctorWho85]

I'll preface this with I love the rent, I was part of the first UCMB that played their in 2003. I think had they built the site into a destination (like it was originally planned) with restaurants, shopping and entertainment the stadium would have been a much more attractive venue. Especially for out door concerts from late spring to mid fall. I think that will be the ultimate demise of why that stadium ends up being abandoned. I mean look at the Dunk and it's relative success compared to what's around it. The Rent could have been the same on a grander scale.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Whether you want a stadium on campus or not, this is absurd. Sure, bite the hands that feeds you.

What is the hand feeding UConn? Seems like UConn is feeding the state by subsidizing underperforming Rent and XL Center.

 

[John]

No kidding your such a genius. This old argument come up every year. I can share my opinion like everyone else. That’s the problem with the football web oversensitive and controlling if anyone remotely goe off script they get ridiculed or shut down.

what's a football web?

 

[billybud]

Let's hope it doesn't get like Miami where their quarterback comes out and says he prefers away games to home because the away games have a college atmosphere.

"I like away games," Van Dyke said in a video. "We don't really have that much of a college atmosphere because we play at Hard Rock, so we're about 25 minutes away from campus. A lot of students don't go up and watch the games unless it's a big one. That's why I like going into away stadiums and seeing that college atmosphere and making that crowd quiet."

 

[LBird33]

what's a football web?

A website can accomplish a number of things. It can help the team stay updated with the upcoming events, attract new players and make it easy for them to contact you, or help fans stay in touch and get updated on the latest news.

Most importantly, it can help the sports team market themselves better by having an online presence.

 

[Waquoit]

Did you though? Because, not to put to blunt to point on it, it kind of seems like you were lying. And then it kind of seems like you lied more to support your lie. And never seemed to answer any of the questions in the post you quoted. Not that that is particularly surprising, you are who you are. The lack of self-awareness though is impressive, and to be completely honest, more than just a little bit amusing.

You never answered my question and now you're calling me a liar. Drag in gutter, try to win with experience.

 

[Waquoit]

The negativity of your post belies the "Mr. Positive" tagline on your avatar.

Not at all. My buddy teaches high school. A sophmore benchwarmer on the JV team told him it was her dream to play for Geno. He said, "That's great, has he contacted you yet?" She said, "No why?" "Because Geno is already recruiting sophomores, if you had a chance you would have heard by now? She said, "Why are you wrecking my dream?" I think of that story whenever this issue comes up. I am positive this is all crazy talk with no basis in reality..

 

[CL82]

You never answered my question and now you're calling me a liar. Drag in gutter, try to win with experience.

Lol, I have no idea why you are, well, the way you are. SMH.

But if you feel unjustly besmirched, maybe you wanna answer instead of evade the questions above in post number 295? Here, let me make it easy for you so you don’t even have to scroll up:

I’m sitting here chuckling, shaking my head. Winning? It’s a message board conversation. Try not to take it or yourself quite so seriously. You’ll be happier for it.

 

[John]

Not at all. My buddy teaches high school. A sophmore benchwarmer on the JV team told him it was her dream to play for Geno. He said, "That's great, has he contacted you yet?" She said, "No why?" "Because Geno is already recruiting sophomores, if you had a chance you would have heard by now? She said, "Why are you wrecking my dream?" I think of that story whenever this issue comes up. I am positive this is all crazy talk with no basis in reality..

 

[Kolumbo]

Sometimes you just gotta make it fit

The Arizona Republic

Sun Devil Stadium was a quantum leap from the original 1936, 9,400-seat Goodwin Stadium that preceded it.

www.azcentral.com

 

[jdb50]

The only place on campus that could be a legit site for a football stadium is at the top of the hill off 195 by Towers and the water tanks. It is has the room, it is closest to the existing road net that can handle traffic (195 and 44},and there is the possibility of some surface tailgating lots. The tract near the new hocky barn is the worst place. No tailgating and no way Separatist Rd and Rt 275 can take the traffic. I think we keep the Rent going till we get in a top 5 conference. Then you have a decision to make.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

The only place on campus that could be a legit site for a football stadium is at the top of the hill off 195 by Towers and the water tanks. It is has the room, it is closest to the existing road net that can handle traffic (195 and 44},and there is the possibility of some surface tailgating lots. The tract near the new hocky barn is the worst place. No tailgating and no way Separatist Rd and Rt 275 can take the traffic. I think we keep the Rent going till we get in a top 5 conference. Then you have a decision to make.

JDB50 How about taking a drive on Discovery Drive. They widened the road and there is plenty of space off of that road. It takes you to Route 44. That could mean 195 in Mansfield Center is not used for stadium traffic.

 

[CL82]

The only place on campus that could be a legit site for a football stadium is at the top of the hill off 195 by Towers and the water tanks. It is has the room, it is closest to the existing road net that can handle traffic (195 and 44},and there is the possibility of some surface tailgating lots. The tract near the new hocky barn is the worst place. No tailgating and no way Separatist Rd and Rt 275 can take the traffic. I think we keep the Rent going till we get in a top 5 conference. Then you have a decision to make.

And why, exactly would there be no tailgating? There’s ample room for parking.

Totally disagree with you regarding traffic management out of that location. You don’t need to have expanded Roads for six games a year. Just direct the traffic sensibly. Here in the Northeast, Rutgers does it and Army does it.

That said, Horsebarn Hill is a workable location. it probably would be the most problematic because the stadium, and stadium lights etc. are going to be seen for a long way.

The only thing I don’t like about discovery Drive is that it’s so far away from the rest of the athletic campuses, That the lots can’t be used for double duty for other sports. Otherwise, it’s pretty good location.

Same with the Mansfield training center site. But for being a couple of miles away from campus, it’s fine.

Completely disagree with you that there’s only one spot suitable for stadium on campus. There are plenty of choices.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Horsebarn Hill is such an iconic site on the Storrs campus, you will likely get a huge fight if anything is built there, let alone a massive stadium. In many on campus locations, the football stadium is slightly away from other fields and buildings.

 

[Kolumbo]

Get rid of E.O.Smith and Hillside Circle. Problem sovled.

 

[huskymedic]

JDB50 How about taking a drive on Discovery Drive. They widened the road and there is plenty of space off of that road. It takes you to Route 44. That could mean 195 in Mansfield Center is not used for stadium traffic.

They considered Discovery Drive/Tech Park when siting out a location for the Toscano Family Ice Forum and nixed it in 2020: Guessing a Football Stadiium would meet same demise as a bad fit for area (use/size):

 

[jdb50]

CL82 if you are on Depot campus students are riding the shuttle buses to the game. By the hockey barn there is no room to tailgate. Most parking on campus is in garages more so now with the new stem building in the lot by Huskies. The open parking lots are gone. Tailgate in the parking garage? Go ahead.

 

[huskymedic]

The only place on campus that could be a legit site for a football stadium is at the top of the hill off 195 by Towers and the water tanks. It is has the room, it is closest to the existing road net that can handle traffic (195 and 44},and there is the possibility of some surface tailgating lots.

Not sure the current residents of the cemetery would complain much but that site could be a tough sell:

The pic is a bit clearer here (Chapter 2-2): https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/UConn/Ice-Hockey-Arena-Development/FINAL_UC_HOCKEY_EIE_021320.pdf

 

[CL82]

CL82 if you are on Depot campus students are riding the shuttle buses to the game. By the hockey barn there is no room to tailgate. Most parking on campus is in garages more so now with the new stem building in the lot by Huskies. The open parking lots are gone. Tailgate in the parking garage? Go ahead.

You keep saying that there’s no room to tailgate on the Separatist Tract. That’s just not accurate. It’s a huge piece of land that’s more than large enough to accommodate the stadium plus parking.

The red outline is the rough boundary of this tract of land. The blue dot is roughly where the Toscano ice rink is located. If you look up at the top of the picture you can see the practice field behind the Fieldhouse. That gives you a sense of scale. I think we might be able to squeeze a canopy or two in there.

If I were building it, I would design in a dedicated “student tailgate area“ where the school could provide low-cost food, entertainment, etc. to get kids in the habit of going to games. I would also think about a dedicated husky walk into the stadium for the team and large walkway to campus. With a little bit of forethought, this could be a very nice venue.

 

[TRest]

You keep saying that there’s no room to tailgate on the Separatist Tract. That’s just not accurate. It’s a huge piece of land that’s more than large enough to accommodate the stadium plus parking.

View attachment 79310

The red outline is the rough boundary of this tract of land. The blue dot is roughly where the Toscano ice rink is located. If you look up at the top of the picture you can see the practice field behind the Fieldhouse. That gives you a sense of scale. I think we might be able to squeeze a canopy or two in there.

If I were building it, I would design in a dedicated “student tailgate area“ where the school could provide low-cost food, entertainment, etc. to get kids in the habit of going to games. I would also think about a dedicated husky walk into the stadium for the team and large walkway to campus. With a little bit of forethought, this could be a very nice venue.

I checked a Mansfield town map and about half that tract isn’t on campus, draw a line at the top edge of the pond across that’s where the campus begins.

 

[CL82]

I checked a Mansfield town map and about half that tract isn’t on campus, draw a line at the top edge of the pond across that’s where the campus begins.

Link?

 

[huskymedic]

Link?

Be sure you have "parcel lines" selected:

https://www.axisgis.com/mansfieldct/

 

[CL82]

I checked a Mansfield town map and about half that tract isn’t on campus, draw a line at the top edge of the pond across that’s where the campus begins.

View attachment 79319

That was news to me. I had always assumed that the University owned all the way to the road.

Here’s where the property line falls.

Still a ton of property. More than enough to accommodate a stadium and parking.

 

[HuskyAlum012]

All you guys worried about tailgating, have you ever been to a college campus that has tailgating? You tailgate wherever the hell you want. I was just in Baton Rouge a couple weeks ago... the students had a massive tailgate in the quad next to the student union. I was tailgating at a different quad next to their classroom buildings. You tailgate all over campus. I for one, would love to tailgate in the Jungle Quad.

 

[Iceman03]

It doesn't matter if the Uconn property goes all the way to the road. Can one of the Attorneys on this board please explain Eminent Domain to the folks that think this matters?

 

[Patman]

It doesn't matter if the Uconn property goes all the way to the road. Can one of the Attorneys on this board please explain Eminent Domain to the folks that think this matters?

I was suggesting to a friend that the state should just buy all of Mansfield and very competitive rates and just start over. Now most of this was a joke but I like the idea that it'll all pay off in the long run once Mansfield becomes a moderate sized city instead of a small town of those looking to escape Hartford.

Granted this was more of a "why does JMU/Harrisonburg" work out so well. My answer was everybody in town is pulling for the enlargement and success of the school. I mean, hell, they also have 4 breweries and can even recommend a couple if we ever play there.

The town IS the problem in the end. The state is also a problem to a degree.

In some ways I'm serious. The only other thought option I have is restart the entire university at Pratt and Whitney air field.

This is the 50-100 year problem if you look at whether or not UConn can actually be a Big 10 style school. No, UConn will not because people will not allocate the space to build a proper city infrastructure to allow such a venture to exist.

Now, do you want it to be a thing or not? This is the "will of the state" level question. If the answer is no, let it be so, but no more one foot in one foot out because right now the dynamics are looking "out".

 

[BigTenFan]

I don't think UConn should be worried about if they can get into BiG 10 or ACC or any other conference at this time. The 5 year goals should be; Academic Excellence,continued strong performance in all men's and women's sports, build a 'watchable football team- against competitive opponents.
#1 agenda item is find a competent University President-What a disaster at the top!

UConn just dumped a pile of cash to leave AAC to join Big East and go Indy in Football
Let's let the dust settle and checks clear before looking at the next move ...

 

[Patman]

I don't think UConn should be worried about if they can get into BiG 10 or ACC or any other conference at this time. The 5 year goals should be; Academic Excellence,continued strong performance in all men's and women's sports, build a 'watchable football team- against competitive opponents.
#1 agenda item is find a competent University President-What a disaster at the top!

UConn just dumped a pile of cash to leave AAC to join Big East and go Indy in Football
Let's let the dust settle and checks clear before looking at the next move ...

yes, this type of thinking is a very short game and will ultimately lose.

 

[DAC17]

Since the team has been awful for 11 years now, I give great credit to the people on this board who keep saying they "need a chance". How many?? And I hope none of you are complaining about your state taxes...

 

[jdb50]

There are cornfields north of the water towers where the UConn marching band practices. Mostly open, few trees. At the top of a hill so few wetlands. This land is south of the parcel B site on the larger map. This is the place. UConn owns all of it. UConn is leaving this open for a reason. The hockey barn would have been on a smaller parcel just north of this. And we do need to solve our president problem. BigTenFan is right. It has been a cluster in that position.