rent can expand to?

[UConn9604]

Hey Mini, that's funny, but did you know the original plans for the Rent called for additional sections of blue chair backs on each side? sect 221, 222, 226, 227 on one side-- and sect 202, 203, 240, 241 on press box side. The reason they are bleachers is they needed that money (and more) for our state of the art sound system. We have the best audio of any stadium in the country. They used "speed of sound" analysis and calibration to prevent any reverberation from end to end (think Lou Gerhig's farewell speech). It's amazing to see the science that went into the system. You can hear clearly at any seat in the stadium. Those of you who were at Michigan Stadium might recall that with all they spent to rehab, they did not get our sound system--and you couldn't hear much from the PA announcer. Also, our scoreboard/video screen has a life of about 8 years ( getting old) and needs to be replaced at over $1M in cost. That will probably wait a while!

I had heard that the entire stadium was supposed to be chairbacked. That's why there's so much space between each of the rows, unlike the old Foxboro Stadium rows, which physically could not have accommodated chairbacks in all but a handful of sections.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Let's go with turning the entire Rent into chairbacks and proceeding with the expansion plans. All chairbacks. We'd spend millions and millions but only get about a 5k increase in capacity.

As long as we're burning money, let's burn it right.

 

[Waquoit]

55k? 65k? ... big enough for big 10? Not all big 10 stadiums are 100k+

I don't think anyone answered the question. The number I heard was 55,000. Seats can be added in 3 chunks: sideline opposite the club seats and both end zones.

 

[noeynox]

I don't think anyone answered the question. The number I heard was 55,000. Seats can be added in 3 chunks: sideline opposite the club seats and both end zones.

This is always the number I heard as well. 40k to 55k is a huge jump, and a respectable number for any conference.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I don't think anyone answered the question. The number I heard was 55,000. Seats can be added in 3 chunks: sideline opposite the club seats and both end zones.

With enough money, anything can be done, but in the original plans (the ones the state already paid for) there exists the option to add another tier behind the deck opposite the press box that consists of 10k seats. I believe that the whole thing was over engineered already with that capacity in mind... Or I suppose it'd be new footings anyway. All it takes is money no idea what that would cost but I'll bet that's in no ones five year plan right now. Sell out routinely AND put 40k asses in 40k seats all buying overpriced beer and hot dogs and now you've got an impetus to dust off those plans.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

LOL. You want the State to build a highway in Fairfield County to make it easier to get to Storrs 6 or 7 times a year. That's up there with the idea that "all" we have to do is force every CT cable customer to buy a $2 a month package whether they want it or not.

People realize that the State does have other issues on their plate besides the success of UConn football, right?

I imagine that if there was room to put another highway in Fairfield County it would be here already.

The bigger issue (which is one of the major reasons why we never had an attempt at a major football program prior to the off campus Rent and why Gampel nearly got scrapped) is would the state be able/willing to put a highway through Mansfield?

 

[mws192]

I imagine that if there was room to put another highway in Fairfield County it would be here already.

The state bought the land decades ago, and still own it, for a highway from Norwalk to Danbury but the towns it'd run through have faught it tooth and nail.
http://www.nycroads.com/roads/US-7_CT/

I don't know why we're talking about it here though, the fastest way to Hartford (and in turn Storrs) from lower Fairfield County would still be up the Merritt to 91, to Charter Oak Bridge.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I was referring to something that could take some of the traffic that clogs 95 & the Merritt a few times a day.

 

[FDNY99]

I have a question about student season tickets...does anyone know if they sell out, and if they do is there more demand than there are tickets (ie:waiting list)?

 

[uconNYC]

higher capacity gives more seating and pricing options. With Tennessee and Michigan visiting in the next few years, I believe expansion could make sense. But whose going to pay for it?