Downtown Akron football stadium moves forwardEric MansfieldPOSTED: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 5:51:25 PMUPDATED: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 8:26:40 PMAKRON -- University of Akron leaders have taken the next major step towards breaking ground on a $54 million stadium. Trustees voted Tuesday morning to hire Akron's Welty Building Company in partnership with the Hunt Construction Group of Indianapolis to lead the project. Hunt has a long history of managing new stadium construction to include Cleveland Browns Stadium, Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, and Ford Field in Detroit. The group has also managed stadium projects on the campuses of LSU and Louisville.If all goes as planned, University leaders hope to break ground later this year and be ready for the 2009 college football season. The site would be at the corner of Exchange and College Streets on the south side of campus."The open field provides a beautiful window into our campus," said Ted Curtis, University Vice President. "It's a collegiate atmosphere and our goal is to have a stadium on the campus, not across town, and not near the campus, but on the campus. It's very important for the collegiate feel."Curtis said the project would include retail and commercial development to support up to 200 events per year. New dormitories, classroom space, and labs would also be part of the master plan.The football stadium would boast 25-30,000 seats, lodges, suites, and additional parking.For decades, the Zips football program has been confined to the aging Rubber Bowl, which students and fans have long complained is too far from campus and too old.Recently, the University constructed new practice fields and an indoor field house as part of a $300 million campus overhaul. The stadium, University leaders said, is the missing piece to the final project.
