Stadiums – Page 40 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Maturi: U ‘Behind 8-Ball’ for Facility

Posted on November 30, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

Only Northwestern and Minnesota among Big Ten schools is without a modern practice facility for its basketball teams. “We’re way behind the eight ball,” Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners.

The Gophers athletic director said some conference schools have had facilities so long they’re enhancing what was originally built. The Gophers can’t wait any longer to pursue a privately financed practice facility to be used by both the men’s and women’s programs.

During the last few months the University has started meeting with potential donors. “The good news is the process has begun,” Maturi said.

The practice facility is to be located just west of the Sports Pavilion-Williams Arena complex. It will be built on a now empty parking lot facing Fourth Street at a projected cost of $15 million.

Maturi said the facility will have two basketball courts, one for coach Tubby Smith’s team and the other to be used by women’s coach Pam Borton and her players. The facility will include a weight room, training room, lockers and a place to host recruits. The facility will connect by tunnel to Williams Arena.

Maturi said only initial meetings have been held with potential donors and more presentations are planned. A lead donor — or donors — is particularly needed.A contribution that paid for 40 percent or more of the cost could result in naming rights to the facility.

The donor solicitations have generated “positive feedback” but no one has said yes to a significant contribution. Because “these things take time,” Maturi won’t place a timeline on when construction will begin.

Although Williams Arena is in need of costly repairs, that project will be separate from the practice facility campaign. Among the 83-year-old building’s needs is roof repair and money for that could come from general University funding, not the athletic department, according to Maturi.

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Bruce Lambrecht Speaking Up for Mpls. (Again)

Posted on November 9, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Bruce Lambrecht and his associates sent a letter to Governor Mark Dayton and other state leaders last week that they hope will help change the face of sports in Minnesota.

Here’s how the letter begins: “For more than a year a group of interested citizens has been crafting and refining an urban revitalization plan that includes a new downtown Minneapolis site for the Vikings stadium, a redevelopment plan for the Metrodome, an exciting vision for what could be on the site of the current building, as well as a proposal for a new structure for financing and operating the region’s sports and entertainment facilities.”

Whew!

Attention commanding ideas from Lambrecht, a local real estate investment developer, and the other Minnesota-based letter signers, architect David Albersman and public affairs professional Mark Oyaas. Lambrecht and Albersman office separately in a building on North Washington Avenue. During an interview with Sports Headliners last week, Lambrecht jokingly referred to himself and Albersman as a couple of guys with a computer working from a building “next to a strip club” (Deja Vu).

But there’s no joking around about their intent as stated in the opening paragraph of the letter. This town learned to take Lambrecht seriously years ago when he advocated for the Rapid Park property that eventually became the site for Target Field.

Lambrecht and other land owners profited from that development. His newest mission is “civic” inspired, he claimed, and while he still owns property downtown he said his gain from a Farmers Market Vikings stadium site will be limited to the expected increase in real estate values that will benefit many landowners and the city.

Building a stadium at the city-owned Farmers Market site is an important piece in a concept Lambrecht and associates refer to as “The Corridor.” The vision is to connect sports and entertainment through transit.

With an emphasis on light rail and commuter train, people will connect to the Vikings stadium, Target Field, Target Center, the Hennepin Avenue entertainment district, Convention Center, Hennepin County Medical Center, a redeveloped Metrodome area, University of Minnesota venues including TCF Bank Stadium, Xcel Energy Center, RiverCentre and the Union Depot. And Lambrecht said a new Farmers Market site can be found near the old location.

The transportation synergy and proximity of attractions excites Lambrecht and others who want to maintain the economic vitality of Minneapolis, the lead city in the region. If downtown rots, the whole “apple (region) becomes rotten,” he said.

Albersman wrote in an October 28 Star Tribune opinion article that the proposed Arden Hills site for the Vikings stadium “flunks nearly every logical test.” He argues that the suburban site is “across the metro from the traditional season-ticket base.” He also views an Arden Hills site as not taking advantage of existing and planned transportation like downtown that also has bars, restaurants and other entertainment attractions already in place. The Arden Hills site throws more economic competition into the metro area mix, instead of maintaining and improving what’s already in place, according to downtown stadium advocates.

They envision the Farmers Market stadium site being an economic stimulus to the North Loop area of downtown. The stadium and other downtown attractions will be linked by rail, bus, bike, and, of course, car. Pedestrians will move through much of “The Corridor” by the skyway system.

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Financing Plan Still Needed for Facility

Posted on November 7, 2011December 27, 2011 by David Shama

Smith suggested the possibility of a financial package that will both renovate the arena and build a new practice facility. How to finance it? Smith’s ideas include perhaps a combination of large gifts from donors and use of basketball game day parking revenues that are now retained by the University and not the athletic department.

The Gophers coach knows winning will help make the facility a reality. He acknowledged a Big Ten championship would make a difference, but the Gophers are coming off a 17-14 season. It was the first time in 18 years of coaching that a Smith team didn’t play in a post-season tournament.

Two of Smith’s first three teams made the NCAA tournament, with the other participating in the NIT. He wants to compete for championships and had hoped his program would be further along after four years. But he’s upbeat about the coming season that starts with a regular season game against Bucknell on Friday night after the Gophers conclude their exhibition schedule versus Augustana at home tonight.

This is also a newsworthy week for recruiting since college basketball teams can sign prep players to national letters of intent starting on Wednesday and continue through November 16. “We’ll sign two, maybe three (players),” Smith said. “We’re excited about the guys. …”

Coaches can’t talk about specific recruits now but it’s known the Gophers have a commitment from Rice Lake, Wisconsin shooting guard Wally Ellenson. Another player who might end up being a Gopher is Charles Buggs, a power forward from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

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