new arena plans

[ziptrumpet87]

Akron News Now link

[Captain Kangaroo]

Makes entirely too much sense. A downtown arena is a no-brainer, and WAY overdue.Plusquellic has been pushing for a downtown sports arena since the 80's (the vaunted "Don-Dome").

[zipsbandman]

This is perfect for the University. Get the city on board with the new arena and all of a sudden a new home for zips basketball may be financially feasable, and I'm sure it gives the city a major boost in entertainment with the amount of events that can be hosted.The zips have a distinctive advantage over some other MAC schools in that it can go to the city and other corporate giants in the area to partner up with big projects like this. Schools like OU, Miami, and Can't in the middle of nowhere need to pony up cash themselves. Toledo is similar to us. The University Park is another example of the agreement with the city, and I am glad we are working together.

[skip-zip]

Guys....here's the incentive....I GUARANTEE you that this will NOT become a reality anytime soon unless the JAR starts getting filled. This is our only chance to rush this process along. If not, this won't come to fruition until the JAR gets too old. Let me also bring this up again....Back in the mid-80's, we appeared to be at another point where the JAR was looking to be too small for this University's basketball program. Talk about a downtown arena, even one that could host football games, was a hot topic of discussion. However, the crowds got a little smaller over a period of time, and the talking ceased.The burden is on us....the fans.....to show that we need a new arena.By the way, the Don Dome is my 2nd choice. I'll stick with the Con-Dome as my first.

[g-mann17]

Now here's a question. What do they mean by "downtown"? The Campus is technically downtown. Or do they mean on Broadway, High, or Main?Here is why I ask this. Proposed site of the new Akron Hotel, the parking lot across E. Mill St behind the refurbished law offices. Now, land adjacent to that to the north is part of the BioMedical Corridor and is currenty under construction. Land to the Northwest is a parking lot owned by the Art Museum. Broadway and High are pretty much filled up all the way to GOJO Plaza. We all know how there is no room on Main St.Essentially from what I can see that leaves us with 3 options. Central Hower (on campus doesn't fit the downtown concept I think). A Small lot on Cedar and Bowery. Or the currently vacant and very visible lot on Perkins and N. Union (which is even further from the heart of downtown then Central Hower). Granted this is a ways down the road. And probably only hold water if Plusquellic remains in office.

[Zipsrifle]

I agree with Skip that this won't happen any time soon. IMO, this is simply UA and the Mayor's office posturing for the public. The JAR is not falling down, and it's not filled for every BB game. IMO, when it starts to sell out, this gives UA an excellent chance to start making some $$ and charge more for tickets. So, in the end there is no plan for a new arena, both sides know this, but both sides can look like they have been toiling for weeks to come to an agreement.

[skip-zip]

Zipsrifle and g-mann....good points.1) Why would the U. or the city actually start BUILDING a new arena when we have a facility that is only 20-some years old, and easily holds the demand for tickets.2) If it is going to be downtown, where is there that much available land? 3) Important people get lots of attention when they talk about "the future".Of course, I certainly hope that we don't end up in a Rubber Bowl situation and are trying to hold the JAR together with glue 40 years from now. But, the truth is, the only thing that will truly accelerate the need for a new arena will be an excessive demand for tickets at the existing arena.And that's not happening.

[Z.I.P.]

the truth is, the only thing that will truly accelerate the need for a new arena will be an excessive demand for tickets at the existing arena.And that's not happening.

Amen to that bruddah! I think, if the basketball team wins 20-straight MAC titles, and plays in 20 straight NCAA tournaments, that in 21 years, 69-year old coach Keith Dambrot will be working like a fiend to get attendance over the 5000 average mark.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Zipsrifle and g-mann....good points.1) Why would the U. or the city actually start BUILDING a new arena when we have a facility that is only 20-some years old, and easily holds the demand for tickets.2) If it is going to be downtown, where is there that much available land? 3) Important people get lots of attention when they talk about "the future".Of course, I certainly hope that we don't end up in a Rubber Bowl situation and are trying to hold the JAR together with glue 40 years from now. But, the truth is, the only thing that will truly accelerate the need for a new arena will be an excessive demand for tickets at the existing arena.And that's not happening.

I disagree. The 2006-7 JAR crowds were about double what is had been only a couple years prior. 4,500+ crowds are getting to be pretty common. And the place only seats 5,500.If UA doesn't screw up and blow what they have going in Dambrot, the JAR will be outgrown very shortly. Look at the University now. It in no way resembles what it was 20...15...even 10 years ago. The JAR is only 25 years old, but it is a cracker box. It may offer the worst game-day experience in the MAC with it's terrible sight lines, lack of quality seating (wooden bleachers are about all you can get now-a-days), horrid concessions, a team shop that you can't walk into and browse, etc. Overall, even K.e.n.t. has a better facility (club-level where you can watch the games, tons of lower-level student and GA seating, decent concessions, nice team shop, etc.).We don't need a Wolstein Center in Akron, but if we'e committed to being a solid basketball school for the next decade+, it is definitely time to start talking about life after the JAR.

[flipthezip]

Real simple. The speed at which a new arena is needed and built rests solely in the hands (or should I say butts in the seats) of the students. Until we start to see 1,500 - 2,000 students on average for every game, the current arena is adequate. Until students, who have free admission to the games, don't have enough seating to accomodate them along with the "paying" customers, why expand.The things that drive new construction on other campuses don't seem to be the same here. The move to 1A football should have dictated a new stadium - not @ UA. It finally got to a last resort because they are sure to soon condemn the Bowl. Probably sometime in Nov. 08 just minutes after Kevin O'Connor carries out the last pair of shoulder pads. A new arena should have been fast tracked the day Romeo and Dru stepped on to this campus. With the excitement they brought from the community with their connection to LeBron, it would have been the perfect time. It would have opened 2 years ago as LeBron's popularity was really starting to climb and would been the host site for this summer's Nike elite camp. A long shot would be to land a kid from that camp here but I guarantee a first class arena combined with the other facilities and campus improvements we would get second looks. Especially kids who late in the process have their stocks drop or kids who come forward late in their development.

[ziptrumpet87]

I mentioned this to my wife when I got home and she said the area across Main St from Canal Park "has some blighted buildings"... I thought that would make sense since it is near UA parking (Polsky Deck). I did a quick Google maps/Photoshop job and found that the JAR would fit if moved in the block bounded by Main, Exchange, Buchtel, and High, or up a block along Exchange between High and Broadway (if you remove Wheeler).Don't think small guys... Don did say he's had inquiries re: other leagues (minor league hockey, basketball, and arena football) that could locate here as well as the events that could be held there, not just UA b-ball.

[Captain Kangaroo]

A new arena should have been fast tracked the day Romeo and Dru stepped on to this campus. With the excitement they brought from the community with their connection to LeBron, it would have been the perfect time.

Apparently your recollections of the Hipsher era are a bit cloudy.

[Zip Watcher]

After 2 Sweet 16's in the next 4 years, it will be obvious .. and fast tracked.Folks asked why someone like First Energy or others aren't prominent in football stadium .. and hoops is what I think. Naming $$ go way farther on an arena that is used year round for more than just UA events .. plus aren't the First Energy guys with ties to UA big hoops fans?

[zen]

kron-domeI think we need a leap-of-faith somewhere in this process.I mean, we are hoping to have a long string of winning seasonsand we are hoping for attendance to pick up and stay up each seasonand if any link in those years breaks, the whole chain breaks, and you start over.This basically means, no arena.No arena without a leap of faith.The University and the City have to put faith in "build it and they will come".It's a tough one. I dunno if I would wanna sink my loot into it, but that's the beauty of public money.Anyway, I think attendance at the new football stadium will be a good clue.

[g-mann17]

I mentioned this to my wife when I got home and she said the area across Main St from Canal Park "has some blighted buildings"... I thought that would make sense since it is near UA parking (Polsky Deck). I did a quick Google maps/Photoshop job and found that the JAR would fit if moved in the block bounded by Main, Exchange, Buchtel, and High, or up a block along Exchange between High and Broadway (if you remove Wheeler).Don't think small guys... Don did say he's had inquiries re: other leagues (minor league hockey, basketball, and arena football) that could locate here as well as the events that could be held there, not just UA b-ball.

Ok, the block in between Main, Exchange, Buchtel, and High is mostly owned by the Beacon. I believe both those blocks on that side of Buchtel are if I'm not mistaken. Now as far across Main from Canal Park. It just dawned on me that that teenie bopper trap of a club Mangos occupies one building. The other Building is the Mayflower (which the Don (I like that for some reason) has been trying to tear down for quite some time. Two birds with one stone perhaps, and a big enough foot print for something fairly decent. Still part of Campus (next to Polsky) still downtown.

[ziptrumpet87]

Exchange being a main route with access to all local interstates it would be easy to get to and visible. Parking would not be a big problem with the polsky deck there. they could even put in a skywalk to connect them!

[BZip_08]

I mentioned this to my wife when I got home and she said the area across Main St from Canal Park "has some blighted buildings"... I thought that would make sense since it is near UA parking (Polsky Deck).

Apparently UA has begun to buy those parking lots there as well. Granted it might just be for more Polsky/CBA parking and the nice revenue from Aeros parking. And those buildings are run down to say the least and at about half occupancy, maybe less. Of all of the sections of downtown, this one actually makes the most sense traffic-wise, and in regard to planning. UA has already branched into that section with the rebirth or Polsky and the CBA as well. And the Don... well, let's just say he's not my favorite person. He couldn't even make it to the press conference for the stadium. The biggest thing to happen to the city of Akron in a decade or more, and he couldn't get out of a speaking engagement in Cleveland. Give me a break.

[ziptrumpet87]

And the Don... well, let's just say he's not my favorite person. He couldn't even make it to the press conference for the stadium. The biggest thing to happen to the city of Akron in a decade or more, and he couldn't get out of a speaking engagement in Cleveland. Give me a break.

He was just in a tiff about the Quaker Square deal and said he didn't want to make it look like he approved or had gotten over it.

[ziptrumpet87]

Apparently UA has begun to buy those parking lots there as well.

Unless it is in process and hasn't been recorded yet, they are owned by entities other than UA. I just checked the county recorders office records (click on Interactive Online Tax Map Application).

[UADavid]

The "don" is a d_ _ _ and really crapped on the football stadium. Six events and maybe a couple concerts. Not an economic engine. It's simply not downtown and that has his panties in a bunch. If you are so hot for a downtown arena, build it yourself. Take a midol and go away!

[skip-zip]

Let me clear this all up...I can see that some of you really want this to happen, and wish to debate the likelihood of it occuring in the near future. I don't think anyone here is arguing that we don't have a need for a better facility, and an improved game-day experience. Captain, you say that it's time to start talking about the future, and a downtown arena. I STRONGLY AGREE. But, it's been talked about for over 20 years. And every time the talk starts to get loud, it seems that we have a few mediocre years of attendance, and the talking ceases. The 4,000 per game attendance that Captain speaks of (I don't know the real numbers) needs to continue to grow. If that happens, the "talking" will start turning into "doing". If it does not, and the attendance starts to drop this year in the post Romeo/Dru era, the talking will cease once again. It's up to us. The only thing that will put any kind of urgency in this process is an increasing demand for tickets.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Let me clear this all up...I can see that some of you really want this to happen, and wish to debate the likelihood of it occuring in the near future. I don't think anyone here is arguing that we don't have a need for a better facility, and an improved game-day experience. Captain, you say that it's time to start talking about the future, and a downtown arena. I STRONGLY AGREE. But, it's been talked about for over 20 years. And every time the talk starts to get loud, it seems that we have a few mediocre years of attendance, and the talking ceases. The 4,000 per game attendance that Captain speaks of (I don't know the real numbers) needs to continue to grow. If that happens, the "talking" will start turning into "doing". If it does not, and the attendance starts to drop this year in the post Romeo/Dru era, the talking will cease once again. It's up to us. The only thing that will put any kind of urgency in this process is an increasing demand for tickets.

Keep in mind I qualified my post with "...IF the University is committed...". For the past 20 years the University was absolutely NOT committed to it's athletic programs. Everyone's talk during that time about fancy new arenas was pretty laughable.I think the University's commitment to athletics has dramatically changed, and it will soon be time to address the basketball facility. But...time will tell.

[skip-zip]

Let's hope. I certainly share in your frustration through some administrations that were not as committed to athletics as the present leadership.

[Zipsrifle]

I would love to see UA have a new arena downtown, but realistically, I don't see it happening any time soon. I agree that it could be used year 'round and that it may draw a minor league team. I like the idea where everyone want's to put it. It all makes sense. What I don't agree with is the "Have Faith, look to the future" ideas. How has this NOT been the mentality of UA recently! Have you guys been to campus recently!?! That is having faith in spending a TON of money knowing there is a high probability that student enrollment will increase. Guess what, enrollment is up. I also want to know where is UA going to get the money? The State isn't about to cough it up and UA already has a new stadium being built. As much as it is not ideal, the JAR is not falling down and it is not undersized for our current needs. I don't consider "Build it and they will come" or "Have faith" as an adequate justification for pouring millions of dollars into an arena. I think we all know the RB was allowed to fall apart so we could get a new stadium...we've all seen the "improvements" over the past 10 years. That was easy to get away with in a 66 year of DPW stadium. That isn't going to happen with a 20 year old arena. I would like a new arena as much as the rest of you, but it's not going to happen until we sell that place out for several years in a row!

[GoZips88]

It APPEARS that KD has done a good job on the recruiting trail and there should be guys who can step in to fill the shoes of Dru and Romeo. Assuming it is winning and not the home-town-boy appeal that has caused attendance to increase in recent years, I don't see why attendance won't continue to improve. KD's system/game is entertaining and I'm hoping he can simply reload like so many programs are able to do. Time will tell but I agree, we need to continue to plan for the (near) future. As I've said before, put the differences aside, shake hands, and get it done. It should be a win/win/win for all of us - the City of Akron, The U of A, and the fans.