|
|
Post by Henry Skrimshander on Feb 2, 2020 20:22:17 GMT -8
We don't live in Minnesota, where the state paid for at least half of the Gophers' new football stadium, or in Michigan, which (it sounds by your post), the state paid for a significant portion of the new basketball arena. Wyoming's state legislature will match major gifts $ for $, which has enabled them to upgrade their arena, FB stadium and weight room and build their indoor center at essentially half the cost.
Think what we could do with the state matching the apparent huge gift for the west side of Reser.
Our state legislature is not going to pay for a new basketball arena. It's not even going to help pay for one. Any building will have to be privately funded; the debt service for any state bonding on the project will have to be repaid by the university, not the taxpayers through the state general fund.
|
|
|
|
Post by Werebeaver on Feb 2, 2020 21:05:17 GMT -8
Gill is old and lacking in amenities from a fan's perspective. For the players, the locker room and the extremely enthusiastic fan support would certainly be what matters. Don't envision anybody choosing someplace else because they have a nicer walk from the locker room to the court What physical amenities is Gill lacking, besides “new car smell”? I think it is an outstanding setting to watch basketball. |
|
|
|
Post by newduke2 on Feb 2, 2020 21:18:15 GMT -8
We don't live in Minnesota, where the state paid for at least half of the Gophers' new football stadium, or in Michigan, which (it sounds by your post), the state paid for a significant portion of the new basketball arena. Wyoming's state legislature will match major gifts $ for $, which has enabled them to upgrade their arena, FB stadium and weight room and build their indoor center at essentially half the cost. Think what we could do with the state matching the apparent huge gift for the west side of Reser. Our state legislature is not going to pay for a new basketball arena. It's not even going to help pay for one. Any building will have to be privately funded; the debt service for any state bonding on the project will have to be repaid by the university, not the taxpayers through the state general fund. I have not been able to find exact historical figures on how much or what % the state legislature of Michigan paid toward the original construction Michigan State's Breslin Student Activities Center. I recall that a significant amount was paid by a new student fee levied on the students (hence the official name "Student Activities Center"...clever marketing  ]. As one can imagine, this did not sit well with some students and their parents at the time (construction period of 1985-1989). A substantial amount came from donations and gifts, as expected. Michigan State does have some wealthy donors, not nearly what the University of Michigan has, but probably much more so than Oregon State. For example, Draymond Green, an MSU alum and Golden State Warrior, donated 3.1 million to MSU a couple years ago, for a new exercise/training/weight room facility. The Oregon State legislature needs to "wake up and smell the coffee" and help with some matching funds, even if it is only 1 for 2, 1 for 3, or 1 for 4. Other states, both blue and red, contribute to state university athletic facilities, as your 2 examples show. Look, to get some direct state funding, the OSU administration, supporters, state legislators who agree, need to be creative. Michigan State University and its supporters were able to show how a new arena on campus would be a benefit to the general public/Michigan taxpayers (local and regional economy of central Michigan), improve tourism, provide a great venue for state high school events and high school sports, be a good location for public (and private) conventions, concerts, shows, etc., etc. It probably helped that Lansing, the state Capital, and East Lansing, did not have a comparably sized, up-to-date, modern arena to begin with. What about contributions from the City of Corvallis? Benton County? City of Albany? Linn County? Their economies and tourism will benefit too... |
|
|
|
Post by bvrbooster on Feb 3, 2020 0:17:49 GMT -8
Gill is old and lacking in amenities from a fan's perspective. For the players, the locker room and the extremely enthusiastic fan support would certainly be what matters. Don't envision anybody choosing someplace else because they have a nicer walk from the locker room to the court What physical amenities is Gill lacking, besides “new car smell”? I think it is an outstanding setting to watch basketball. Well, there is a smell, but it isn't "new car." More like 7 decades of used cooking oil. There's only 1 elevator and no escalators, so the elderly have to walk up and down stairs. The steps to the seats are steep and narrow, and, until this year, there were no hand rails at all. The restroom facilities are inadequate, particularly for women, where long lines are the rule. The process for gaining entrance is inefficient. I'm guessing the hallways haven't been painted or the floors redone since the Carter administration. Other than that, not much lacking. Personally, I like Gill. I like old, historic arenas where generations of Alums have watched their teams play. I like a somewhat cozy building seating 9 to 10,000, all fairly close to the floor. I'd take that over a new, antiseptic, characterless, 18,000 seat venue any day. But my original point is that the recruits and players don't care about that stuff. They care about the new practice facility, the beautiful new locker room, and the fact that there are 6,000 people cheering when they run out on the floor. They are oblivious to the fact that it would be 6,100 cheering except that 100 are on line for the ladies room, and, from down on the court, you probably can't even smell the the cooking oil odor that has been lingering since Eisenhower was elected. |
|
|
|
Post by blastingsand on Feb 3, 2020 2:58:10 GMT -8
If anyone had been in the locker rooms before the renovation, it actually was quite nice! Separate locker room with a library, pin pong, area, a very nice TV/coach area and a full kitchen. It looked pretty modern by itself. They also have another locker room at the practice facilities that look good. Both teams do.
|
|
|
|
Post by nabeav on Feb 3, 2020 8:40:13 GMT -8
Gill is old and lacking in amenities from a fan's perspective. For the players, the locker room and the extremely enthusiastic fan support would certainly be what matters. Don't envision anybody choosing someplace else because they have a nicer walk from the locker room to the court What amenities is Gill lacking? Maybe public wifi? It's got a variety of seating options (benches, chairbacks, cushioned seats), a nice scoreboard...what else do you need? If you say long lines at concessions or bathrooms, name me a stadium that doesn't have those things when it's packed. Note: I am able-bodied, so I can't comment on accessibility features. I could see this potentially being a hindrance given the age of the building, but beyond that, I'm not sure what else you need to watch a basketball game. |
|
|
|
Post by Judge Smails on Feb 3, 2020 8:56:19 GMT -8
What physical amenities is Gill lacking, besides “new car smell”? I think it is an outstanding setting to watch basketball. Well, there is a smell, but it isn't "new car." More like 7 decades of used cooking oil. There's only 1 elevator and no escalators, so the elderly have to walk up and down stairs. The steps to the seats are steep and narrow, and, until this year, there were no hand rails at all. The restroom facilities are inadequate, particularly for women, where long lines are the rule. The process for gaining entrance is inefficient. I 'm guessing the hallways haven't been painted or the floors redone since the Carter administration.
Other than that, not much lacking. Personally, I like Gill. I like old, historic arenas where generations of Alums have watched their teams play. I like a somewhat cozy building seating 9 to 10,000, all fairly close to the floor. I'd take that over a new, antiseptic, characterless, 18,000 seat venue any day. But my original point is that the recruits and players don't care about that stuff. They care about the new practice facility, the beautiful new locker room, and the fact that there are 6,000 people cheering when they run out on the floor. They are oblivious to the fact that it would be 6,100 cheering except that 100 are on line for the ladies room, and, from down on the court, you probably can't even smell the the cooking oil odor that has been lingering since Eisenhower was elected. When was the last time that you were in Gill. All of the hallways have been painted in the last 5-10 years. They are much better than they used to be. |
|
|
|
Post by bvrbooster on Feb 3, 2020 17:54:55 GMT -8
Well, there is a smell, but it isn't "new car." More like 7 decades of used cooking oil. There's only 1 elevator and no escalators, so the elderly have to walk up and down stairs. The steps to the seats are steep and narrow, and, until this year, there were no hand rails at all. The restroom facilities are inadequate, particularly for women, where long lines are the rule. The process for gaining entrance is inefficient. I 'm guessing the hallways haven't been painted or the floors redone since the Carter administration.
Other than that, not much lacking. Personally, I like Gill. I like old, historic arenas where generations of Alums have watched their teams play. I like a somewhat cozy building seating 9 to 10,000, all fairly close to the floor. I'd take that over a new, antiseptic, characterless, 18,000 seat venue any day. But my original point is that the recruits and players don't care about that stuff. They care about the new practice facility, the beautiful new locker room, and the fact that there are 6,000 people cheering when they run out on the floor. They are oblivious to the fact that it would be 6,100 cheering except that 100 are on line for the ladies room, and, from down on the court, you probably can't even smell the the cooking oil odor that has been lingering since Eisenhower was elected. When was the last time that you were in Gill. All of the hallways have been painted in the last 5-10 years. They are much better than they used to be. 8 days ago. I'll look at the hallway again on Friday and get back to you. |
|
|
|
Post by Henry Skrimshander on Feb 3, 2020 18:23:42 GMT -8
The only first floor hallway in Gill that hasn't been refurbished in recent memory is the west hallway, where they store the spare baskets that are wheeled into practices quite often. And that is closed off by curtains during home games.
Stairwells have all been refurbished. So have the basement locker rooms/media areas/meeting rooms/training areas. The upstairs concourses still need some work.
One of the proposals to improve Gill is to move many of the admin/coaching offices over to the west side of Reser when that is built. That will open up a lot of space to be refurbished into more amenities like restrooms, hospitality areas, etc.
|
|
|
|
Post by qbeaver on Feb 4, 2020 14:48:31 GMT -8
No,Gill Coliseum isn't a new shiny area,but what doesn't the arena have besides an escalator(??) and additional elevators. I too am able bodied,so I can't speak about having to navigate up a steep set of steps. I love the old field house feel of Gill Coliseum,and with the improved lighting,Scoreboard,plaza,locker rooms,etc,I can't imagine recruits are put off by it being a 70 year old arena,but that is just one mans opinion.
Would you rather play at USC in front of 500 people in a newer fancy arena,or in front of 6,000 plus in a place that has a field house feel?
|
|
|
|
Post by bvrbooster on Feb 4, 2020 16:45:57 GMT -8
No,Gill Coliseum isn't a new shiny area,but what doesn't the arena have besides an escalator(??) and additional elevators. I too am able bodied,so I can't speak about having to navigate up a steep set of steps. I love the old field house feel of Gill Coliseum,and with the improved lighting,Scoreboard,plaza,locker rooms,etc,I can't imagine recruits are put off by it being a 70 year old arena,but that is just one mans opinion. Would you rather play at USC in front of 500 people in a newer fancy arena,or in front of 6,000 plus in a place that has a field house feel? That's basically what I was saying - but the steps, until this year, have been a major accident waiting to happen. The rails are a big improvement. |
|
|
|
Post by qbeaver on Feb 4, 2020 17:03:03 GMT -8
No,Gill Coliseum isn't a new shiny area,but what doesn't the arena have besides an escalator(??) and additional elevators. I too am able bodied,so I can't speak about having to navigate up a steep set of steps. I love the old field house feel of Gill Coliseum,and with the improved lighting,Scoreboard,plaza,locker rooms,etc,I can't imagine recruits are put off by it being a 70 year old arena,but that is just one mans opinion. Would you rather play at USC in front of 500 people in a newer fancy arena,or in front of 6,000 plus in a place that has a field house feel? That's basically what I was saying - but the steps, until this year, have been a major accident waiting to happen. The rails are a big improvement. Glad to hear they took care of it. I have great memories of Gill going back to the early 1970's but I'm not an 18 year old recruit either. They don't give a hoot about concessions,elevators,amenities for the fans or any of that stuff. They care about the space they will spend of their time and whether they can reach all their goals as a person and athlete. Gill is special with our fan base...Scott Rueck has built a great family atmosphere. I think most recruits focus on that and osu accentuates that in recruiting. Jmo... |
|
|
|
Post by bennyskid on Feb 4, 2020 17:10:25 GMT -8
Gill has the greatest sight-lines of any arena I've ever been in, hands-down. The seats in the rafters of Gill have a better view than lower-bowl seats at the Rose Garden.
|
|
|
|
Post by jefframp on Feb 5, 2020 12:59:29 GMT -8
That's basically what I was saying - but the steps, until this year, have been a major accident waiting to happen. The rails are a big improvement. I'm surprised they did not put those rails on both sides of the aisle instead of just the one side. One step at a time perhaps. BTW, similar rails would be a great idea for the old west side at Reser too. |
|
|
|
Post by believeinthebeavs on Feb 5, 2020 14:11:30 GMT -8
At least the hand rails are somewhat stable. ttatt has some very wobbly handrails. Also at Gill there are ushers all over that will help people to their seats if they need it. If the usher is unable to help for any reason they call in assistance. They have always helped with a smile. In my experience that is not always case down south. I would help my mother to her seat and then I'd end up helping others because their ushers would manage to vanish anytime someone would need help.
|
|
]. As one can imagine, this did not sit well with some students and their parents at the time (construction period of 1985-1989). A substantial amount came from donations and gifts, as expected. Michigan State does have some wealthy donors, not nearly what the University of Michigan has, but probably much more so than Oregon State. For example, Draymond Green, an MSU alum and Golden State Warrior, donated 3.1 million to MSU a couple years ago, for a new exercise/training/weight room facility.
