NEWS
Costs for Camp Randall increase
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by Natalie Rhoads
Thursday, March 3, 2005
The University of Wisconsin Athletics department requested an increase of $2 million to their budget this week to complete the ongoing Camp Randall Stadium Renovation.
If passed by the UW System Board of Regents next week, the increase would be the second in the past year, totaling $10 million in increases from the originally planned cost of the renovation. The first increase, which was approved last May by the Board of Regents, increased cost of the project by $8 million.
Fish said roughly $1 million of the total increase would be used toward the press box. The other $1 million will go to replenishing the contingency fund, which has been “exhausted,” said Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities, Planning and Management Alan Fish.
“Since we wanted to complete the project on time, we felt this gave us the best chance to do it and update [the] press box while finishing the rest of the project,” Fish said.
The additional money for the renovation will be entirely from private donations made to the Athletic Department and not from taxpayers’ money or from athletic ticket revenues, according to Fish.
“Frankly, we wouldn’t have done it any other way,” Fish said.
However, the request must still go to the Board of Regents because the state must approve the increase, according to student board member Beth Richlen.
“We usually still need the authority from the state to do that,” Richlen said.
She added that people also become concerned about the reasons for the increase, particularly when it is a large sum of money being requested.
The stadium has seen many changes since 1917 and, according to Fish, with the additional $2 million, the recent renovation project will be finished by Aug. 2005, in time for the football season.
The goal of the renovation to the stadium was to “transform the fourth-oldest college football stadium in the country into a safe, accessible and technologically advanced facility with increased capacity, an intimidating game-day atmosphere and improved customer services within our project budget,” according to the stadium’s renovation website.
The renovation was planned after several problems were identified with the stadium. According to the renovation website, the stadium was unsafe because of overcrowded walkways and entries, inadequate services for customers, demand for seating was far above the available capacity and the infrastructure of the stadium was insufficient.
Once all renovations are complete the concession stands will be rebuilt, total seating and restroom capacity will increase, elevators and walkways will be added, an office building will be built to house all coaches and administration staff and a scoreboard, permanent lights and a sound system will be constructed to be used for night games.
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 8:36am):
$2 million equals a 40% increase in football donations over previous years. What happens if the donations aren't there? Who pays then?
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 9:13am):
More tuition and alumni dollars going towards needless projects, just like tearing down and rebuilding the entire campus. You know, UW's institutional rankings would be much higher if they invested a little more $$ in attracting high-quality professors. You can build the best buildings in the world but if you don't pay the people, they ain't gonna come.
Total waste of money.
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 11:33am):
"$2 million equals a 40% increase in football donations over previous years. What happens if the donations aren't there? Who pays then?"
If the donations don't come in their own Alvarez will just start pimping himself. All he has to do is have a few more golf outings and maybe sell a few basketballs with the teams autographs.
Poster #2 did you miss the part of the article where all the funding would be from private dollars??? Also what's the deal with wanting to pay professors more? Everytime there's an article about how tuition needs to be lowered people mention how the profs are overpaid. Now you want to offer more money?
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 11:33am):
When was the last time 85,000 people showed up to hear a lecture by a Professor. Last time I checked being ranked the 13th best University in the nation wasn't that bad. Especially when numerouse departments are in the top 10.
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 11:34am):
When was the last time 85,000 people showed up to hear a lecture by a Professor. Last time I checked being ranked the 13th best University in the nation wasn't that bad. Especially when numerous departments are in the top 10.
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 12:27pm):
If you think your tuition payments are going towards construction projects, you are terribly, terribly wrong.
Tuition goes to paying the operating costs of the school. New construction is virtually all private funding with a comparitively small state funding budget. Tuition, ha! Your in-state tuition could not even pay for a new row of bleachers, let alone a 2 million dollar addition to camp randall's budget.
Anonymous (March 3, 2005 @ 8:21pm):
That's not what was in the dog and pony show given to the Board of Regents.
http://www.uwsa.edu/capbud/05-07cap/BOR%20Full%20Capital%20Presentation.doc
Gifts and grants (including an unusal donation for the education building) made up only 16% of the funding for the UW system's major capital projects.
