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Trustees vote to increase seating |
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Tuesday, 25 September 2007 |
by JAMISON DORAN
News Editor
The Board of Trustees voted to begin planning to add more seats to Kidd Brewer Stadium during their meeting Friday.
“I have received numerous phone calls, e-mails and other forms of communication from people who can’t get tickets into our stadium,” BOT chair James M. Deal Jr. said in a press release. “I think it’s appropriate for us at this time to explore the expansion of the east stand.”
The current Athletic Enhancement Plan called for no additional seating in the stadium and this has caused some problems at the last two home games.
The original plans were going to increase the size of the press box in the stadium.
However,
now that ticket demand is at an all time high, the BOT felt it was
important to address adding more seating to the plans.
 Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock. File Photo
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“This
is all in response to the fact that we need to expand so you all have
more seats and the public has more seats,” BOT secretary Jeannine
Underdown-Collins said.
The plans call for an additional 4,000 to 5,000 seats by the start of next season, if possible.
In
addition to the added seating, the expansion would also include
restrooms, water fixtures and concessions to help bring the 45-year-old
stadium up to code.
Staff
of the university were asked to come up with a new plan that included
cost projection and necessary funding to be presented at the next BOT
meeting Dec. 7.
“They’re
[the architects and the BOT] is going to do the planning and if they
see that it’s feasible the BOT will vote on it in December,” she said.
The BOT, however, will likely have no control over whether or not student fees will be raised to cover the changes to the plan.
[The
decision of who pays for it will] probably come through Cindy Wallace
and the vice chancellor,” Underdown-Collins said. “My intention is to
keep it away from student funds…I don’t speak for all on the BOT but I
think they feel the same way.”
Underdown-Collins feels the time is now to make improvements to the stadium.
“I
think we need to seize the moment and do this if it’s at all possible,”
she said. “It was made clear in the public meeting that we didn’t want
[the cost] to be incurred by students.”
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