CSU to break ground on stadium this summer
CSU plans to begin construction of its controversial new on-campus stadium this summer so it can be open in time for the 2017 football season.
Details on the design of the $220 million stadium and financing still need to be worked out.
School officials declined to discuss what changes will be made from the original plans drawn up in 2012. They've asked the contractors on the project to keep any changes that might be made to themselves as well.
Colorado State University President Tony Frank plans to present a stadium financing plan to the Board of Governors at its Feb. 4-6 meetings at the CSU-Global Campus in Centennial.
"After that, the construction timeline will start to solidify, as will updates to the scope of the project," school spokesman Mike Hooker said.
The stadium will be built on the southwest side of the university's main campus, between Pitkin and Lake streets on the west side of a reconfigured Whitcomb Street. Currently, the area the stadium will cover is primarily used for parking, with the southwest corner of the site housing the Plant Environmental Research Center and its gardens.
No significant work at the stadium site can be completed until ongoing research projects at PERC are completed, school officials have said.
"We have been assured that the graduate student research and Plant Select plant evaluation research will not be disturbed until Oct. 1, at which time we should have all of our data taken from those studies," PERC director Jim Klett said in an email last week.
PERC will be relocated to the south side of Prospect Road, just west of Centre Avenue and south of Aggie Village to the current site of the CSU ropes course, Klett said.
CSU requested and received authorization from the state Legislature's Joint Budget Committee on Sept. 20, 2013, to borrow $7.3 million through state-backed bonds to pay for the PERC relocation. But later CSU chose to remove that project and a $50 million parking garage along Shields Street from a $139 million bond issued in December 2013. So no money has yet been allocated for PERC relocation.
Cost estimates for the stadium include up to $30 million to cover what Frank believes is the university's fair share — 50 percent — of road, sidewalk and utility improvements and other city infrastructure required to accommodate the new facility.
The university is essentially its own city under Colorado law, so it does not need to follow the city of Fort Collins' land-use or building codes or acquire building permits for projects on its campuses.
Frank said the university will enter into intergovernmental agreements with the city to address issues such as traffic, parking and noise surrounding events held at the stadium. He also vowed to set up a standing committee to meet regularly with residents of surrounding neighborhoods to address ongoing issues.
Icon Venue Group was selected by CSU as the project manager for the stadium. Populous was selected as the architect and Mortenson Construction as the lead contractor. All three companies have been involved in stadium projects around the country.
Mike Harms, a senior vice-president with Icon, said two years is a reasonable amount of time to get a new stadium built. Frank said "it's very likely" the facility would be ready in time of the 2017 football season.
The Rams will open the 2017 season Sept. 2 in Denver against the University of Colorado and could play a home game as early as the following weekend.
Frank received permission from the school's Board of Governors last month to move forward with what he said would be a $220 million stadium seating about 36,000 fans and total capacity of about 40,000. The preliminary plan Frank outlined to the governing board called for the university to borrow $195 million for the project by issuing revenue bonds, with the remaining $25 million coming from philanthropic donations.
CSU said last summer that it had raised $24.1 million in private donations for the stadium, and Frank has said he is confident the school can raise as much as $50 million privately. Additional donations, Frank said last month, would be used to cover any shortfalls if the new stadium does not generate enough revenue to cover annual bond payments estimated at $12.5 million to $13.5 million a year.
Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news
Stadium construction timeline
• Beginning in Month 2: Pour the foundation, starting in the southwest corner, moving northeast (duration of 3 ½ months).
• Month 3: Build vertical structures, including the seating bowl, press box and suites (8 months).
• Month 8: Apply exterior enclosures that start to give stadium a personality and install interior fixtures, such as lighting and windows (12 months).
• Month 11: Install seats and complete locker rooms, offices, suites and academic wings, referred to as a whole as the east and west "stadia" (9 months).
• Month 20: Finishing touches are applied, placing branding on the stadium and testing utilities (two months).