On Campus Arena Plans

[Guapo]

https://evpacfo.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1608/2015/12/RFI_QA.pdf

Found this Q & A dated 10/31/2017 regarding hockey arena RFEI. I don't believe it has been posted before. University is looking at a 2020 completion at the latest.

Awesome find. Thank you!

You have to assume it'll be 3500 seats (at minimum) plus standing room.

 

[Guapo]

Bylaws say 4,000.

Why are we going for 3,500?

I've re-read thread and I think we all agree 3,500 is not enough.

Still way too early and I don't know all the details, but I hope this isn't a budget constraint issue or "small time" decision.

I want the best for UConn hockey.

I think talk of small time and big time should be withheld till we see the plans.

If it's 3500 with aluminum bleachers and is basically a remodeled hanger, than we can say it's small time.

If it's 3500, with a certain percentage of chairbacks, a nice concourse, a nice design etc then it can be big time.

 

[CL82]

Awesome find. Thank you!

You have to assume it'll be 3500 seats (at minimum) plus standing room.

There's a Q&A on this. Yes, 3,500 seats in the minimum requirement. Can't use standing room to meet the seat capacity minimum.

I hope the university considers making the property expansion capable to get to 4,500. Otherwise the potential of obsolescence is high IMO.

 

[Guapo]

There's a Q&A on this. Yes, 3,500 seats in the minimum requirement. Can't use standing room to meet the seat capacity minimum.

I hope the university considers making the property expansion capable to get to 4,500. Otherwise the potential of obsolescence is high IMO.

Yeah I was just saying that they'll use standing room "capacity" to meet the HE requirement.

 

[Guapo]

There's a Q&A on this. Yes, 3,500 seats in the minimum requirement. Can't use standing room to meet the seat capacity minimum.

I hope the university considers making the property expansion capable to get to 4,500. Otherwise the potential of obsolescence is high IMO.

I did not realize that...

 

[CL82]

I did not realize that...

No, I think that you are right. You can't use standing room to meet the 3,500 minimum UConn is asking for. I think that UConn is probably using a standing room of 500, to bring capacity from 3,500 to 4,000. That makes sense. I just hope that they design it to allow for additional seats at a later date.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

There's a Q&A on this. Yes, 3,500 seats in the minimum requirement. Can't use standing room to meet the seat capacity minimum.

I hope the university considers making the property expansion capable to get to 4,500. Otherwise the potential of obsolescence is high IMO.

Unfortunately expansion of a hockey arena is very, very difficult with all of the mechanisms that go into building a facility that has ice and ice-making capabilities. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single arena in use today that was legitimately expanded. Obviously many have been renovated and ended up with different capacities, but none have been explicitly added onto.

I agree that 3,500 would be undershooting things quite a bit and would be on the very small end of the league.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Unfortunately expansion of a hockey arena is very, very difficult with all of the mechanisms that go into building a facility that has ice and ice-making capabilities. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single arena in use today that was legitimately expanded. Obviously many have been renovated and ended up with different capacities, but none have been explicitly added onto.

I can think of one, but the roof had to collapse first.

 

[FDNY99]

RFEI -Request for Environment Impact?

Anyway, I'd be very happy with this:

Gene Polisseni Center $30M - $40M price tag. Naming rights were sold for like $4.5M 4,500 capacity.

With SRO ability that would be absolutely perfect!!!

 

[FDNY99]

Unfortunately expansion of a hockey arena is very, very difficult with all of the mechanisms that go into building a facility that has ice and ice-making capabilities. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single arena in use today that was legitimately expanded. Obviously many have been renovated and ended up with different capacities, but none have been explicitly added onto.

I agree that 3,500 would be undershooting things quite a bit and would be on the very small end of the league.

I think the Freitas expansion is out the window after the study was done and it was found the building was reaching it's lifespan. If anything is done to that place it will be kept as a secondary ice surface if the new facility is built next to it.

 

[CL82]

Unfortunately expansion of a hockey arena is very, very difficult with all of the mechanisms that go into building a facility that has ice and ice-making capabilities. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single arena in use today that was legitimately expanded. Obviously many have been renovated and ended up with different capacities, but none have been explicitly added onto.

I agree that 3,500 would be undershooting things quite a bit and would be on the very small end of the league.

It could be done if the foundation and layout were explicitly designed for expansion. Say, for example, an area in which seats could be added but weren't installed. I don't know if there are significant savings in taking that approach though.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

It could be done if the foundation and layout were explicitly designed for expansion. Say, for example, an area in which seats could be added but weren't installed. I don't know if there are significant savings in taking that approach though.

That's the thing - why bother doing that if you're not going to put the seats in?

 

[CL82]

That's the thing - why bother doing that if you're not going to put the seats in?

Short term savings and economy of scale if you expect to need to expand and you are working on a limited budget, but I have no idea if there actually is a meaningful savings.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

No, I think that you are right. You can't use standing room to meet the 3,500 minimum UConn is asking for. I think that UConn is probably using a standing room of 500, to bring capacity from 3,500 to 4,000. That makes sense. I just hope that they design it to allow for additional seats at a later date.

I believe there is also a minimum requirement to the number of chairback seats.

 

[ct06111]

I believe there is also a minimum requirement to the number of chairback seats.

Yup, 20% of them must be chairbacks

4,000 arena. 800 chairbacks minimum. Go for 1,000. 500 each side to start.

They should be all chairbacks in my opinion. 4,000 chairs. 500 SRO

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Short term savings and economy of scale if you expect to need to expand and you are working on a limited budget, but I have no idea if there actually is a meaningful savings.

It likely would not be meaningful as it would require most/all of the infrastructure and actual structure to be built now. So if you're going to make that investment, just put the seats in now.

 

[UConnNick]

Every sports arena ever built on the UCONN campus was obsolete the day it opened. To me, it looks like we're going down that same road yet again. Small time New England thinking strikes again.

 

[dbmill]

Every sports arena ever built on the UCONN campus was obsolete the day it opened. To me, it looks like we're going down that same road yet again. Small time New England thinking strikes again.

Small time thinking? It is more a shortage of money. You need big funds to build quality sporting venues. However, UConn athletics always seems to be in money crunch. A positive conference realignment outcome would certainly help, as well as more donors who would be willing to pony up more cash to build these athletic facilities. Problem for UConn is that it ice hockey is not the only sport online to get a facility upgrade, and that spreads any funds available for hockey facilities pretty thin.

 

[CL82]

Small time thinking? It is more a shortage of money. You need big funds to build quality sporting venues. However, UConn athletics always seems to be in money crunch. A positive conference realignment outcome would certainly help, as well as more donors who would be willing to pony up more cash to build these athletic facilities. Problem for UConn is that it ice hockey is not the only sport online to get a facility upgrade, and that spreads any funds available for hockey facilities pretty thin.

Yep that's reality of it. Still I hope they don't make a penny wise, pound foolish decision that produces a facility that will need upgrade immediately at a multiple of the amount of the original savings.

 

[FDNY99]

Guys...hopefully you see a 4500 seat/500-600 SRO arena built for the men's/women's hockey teams. That is about as perfect as you can get..it will be loud while still a decent size.

 

[MASSconn]

Sorry to open - any news on this? If I'm not mistaken we're already past the deadline for the on-campus arena...

 

[husky8273]

Sorry to open - any news on this? If I'm not mistaken we're already past the deadline for the on-campus arena...

no deadline yet. HE is being patient.

 

[husky8273]

Sorry to open - any news on this? If I'm not mistaken we're already past the deadline for the on-campus arena...

this bond offering will help finance the new arena,
University of Connecticut $152,000,000 Special Obligation Bonds 2018 Series A – Buy CT Bonds

 

[UCONNJACK]

A small update on the new hockey arena from the most recent Town/University Meeting. Nothing earth shattering.

http://www.mansfieldct.gov/filestorage/1904/5335/2212/20180213_minutes_draft.pdf

 

[CL82]

UConn Update on Hockey Arena, Enrollment and On-Campus Housing Capacity and Occupancy. Vasington noted that UConn shortlisted and interviewed 3 responses to the RFEI; 2 all 3 responses gravitated toward the site near Freitas and not the Discovery Drive site. No decision has been made.