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Additional seating in stadium approved |
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
 | Cobb
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by BRANDON BROWN
News Reporter
The Appalachian State University football team beat the Richmond Spiders on route to a third straight national championship Dec. 7, 2007 – the same day the Board of Trustees proposed a revised expansion project for new seating and amenities at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
The board approved 4,400 additional seats on the east side of the stadium, as well as 200 new bathrooms and 400 handicap seats, said Director of Athletics Charlie G. Cobb.
The new proposal is part of the Athletics Facilities Enhancement Campaign, which also includes the
indoor training facility, baseball stadium additions, and the field house project.
Though the additional seats are going to be located on the east side, Vice Chancellor for Business
Affairs Greg Lovins said seats will be reallocated and distributed evenly between the general public and
students.
“The plan is to have 2,200 additional seats for students...in the stadium,” Lovins said.
Cobb said the field house is not likely to be complete by the 2008 football season, however, additions
to the east stands and handicap seating should be ready to go by the first home game.
The estimated cost of the new seating and restrooms is $8.5 million, Cobb said.
In their December meeting, the Board of Trustees approved an increase in the athletics fees by $40.
Of that increase, $18 will go to the east stands project, Lovins said.
“[The fee increase] would provide a little less than half of the costs,” Lovins said. “The remainder of the
costs would come from a combination of increased ticket revenue from the [additional] seating and
overall ticket sales.”
Lovins said he expects the architect’s plans to be completed by Jan. 22. After approval from the state
and the Department of Insurance, the university is clear to get a bid for a contractor.
The east stand additions will bring the seating capacity of Kidd Brewer Stadium up to approximately
20,000. The current stadium seats 16,650.
Only the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and The Citadel have a seating capacity of over
20,000 in the Southern Conference, according to the schools’ Web sites.
After placing second in the nation in the Football Championship Subdivision attendance for the last two
years, Appalachian State led the FSC in attendance in 2007, Cobb said.
The Kidd Brewer Stadium attendance record was set at the first game of the 2007 season versus
Lenoir-Rhyne College, which drew 28,802 fans.
Charles C. Green, a sophomore exercise science major, has been to every home game since he
arrived at Appalachian State.
“Being that we average around 20,000 [attendees] a game and the stadium only holds 16,000 [seats],
I’d say it’s very much needed,” Green said.
While the university is waiting for the final drawings and approval, construction on the relocation of
sewer lines by the stadium project site has begun.
“First and foremost, we are trying to create a game day experience that is unmatched,” Cobb said.
“The reality of it is that we have some things we’ve got to address in the stadium.”
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