Championship Subdivision Football | FCS Football | Stadiums | Blogs | Forums

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009 ... orts08.txt

BOZEMAN (AP) - The start of Montana State's planned expansion of Bobcat Stadium has been delayed by at least a year due to the economic crunch, athletics director Peter Fields said.

“People feel like we have a good project and that we've laid out a good plan,” Fields said. “They want to be involved but they want to see what's going on with their own economic futures before they invest in something else.”


The first $9 million phase of the project calls for construction of 38 SkySuites on two levels above the existing east grandstand.


The entire project, which Fields has said could take as long as 20 years and $100 million to complete, includes replacing the east grandstand, adding an academic center, an indoor practice facility, improved strength training and sports medicine facilities and upgrades to other athletics facilities.

Fields said the athletics department will not seek state funds or student fees to help pay for the work.

I am sure this is not the last athletic project delayed by the economy,.

dbackjon wrote:I am sure this is not the last athletic project delayed by the economy,.

I agree. At least they took a look at their books and are postponing this and not going ahead as planned at the Students/Montana Tax Payers expense.

grizzaholic wrote:

dbackjon wrote:I am sure this is not the last athletic project delayed by the economy,.

I agree. At least they took a look at their books and are postponing this and not going ahead as planned at the Students/Montana Tax Payers expense.

It was always premised on private funds being raised. There was never a hint of student fees being raised or public funding being involved. Fund raising was going well until about last Nov. when the sh!t hit the fan with the economy. Donors are lined up and pledges have been made but all of a sudden everyone tightened the purse strings until things shake out of the recession. It'll happen, the entire nation is facing the same type situations (actually Montana is better off economically than most states).

Even in a bad economy, the one thing MSU can count on 100% is student enrollment, if you raise student athletic fees by 34$ each semester (assuming you have 15k students), every year the project will have 1$ million dollars to continue the project. I had a skollie but even if i didnt i wouldn't care to pay about 68$ a year to have a nice facility.

BlackFalkin wrote:Even in a bad economy, the one thing MSU can count on 100% is student enrollment, if you raise student athletic fees by 34$ each semester (assuming you have 15k students), every year the project will have 1$ million dollars to continue the project. I had a skollie but even if i didnt i wouldn't care to pay about 68$ a year to have a nice facility.

They could spend $1 mil in two weeks.

AZGrizFan wrote:

BlackFalkin wrote:Even in a bad economy, the one thing MSU can count on 100% is student enrollment, if you raise student athletic fees by 34$ each semester (assuming you have 15k students), every year the project will have 1$ million dollars to continue the project. I had a skollie but even if i didnt i wouldn't care to pay about 68$ a year to have a nice facility.

They could spend $1 mil in two weeks.

BF brings in $1 mil every two weeks from his ho's.

grizzaholic wrote: BF brings in $1 mil every two weeks from his ho's.