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Post by Yote 53 on Jul 28, 2017 8:31:20 GMT -6
Time to give this subject its own thread. Read some exciting news in a Football Alumni email I received today along with the updates about the program heading into fall camp: "The University continues to move forward with plans to renovate the Dakota Dome. This important project will provided needed facilities like a new locker room, meeting spaces and enhanced seating and fan amenities." This is exciting to hear. I'd be interested in seeing some of the concepts or an artist's rendering of what the completed project woudl like. I know the Volante had an article this spring about Dome renovations and how it's a multiphase process. I'll search for that article and link it. From the article, I'm guessing the Dome will be the home for USD football for another 40 years given what the engineers said about its useful life, unless something changes. volanteonline.com/2017/02/plans-30-million-renovation-dakotadome-works/
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Post by Coyote Fan on Jul 28, 2017 11:59:13 GMT -6
I am going to make a guess that the renovations will include a walkway across the field on the South end zone that connects the opening of the SCSC where the windows are currently to the west end of the dome. Not an earth shattering prediction or anything but that could be a nice area for a cat walk that looks down on the field. There would be quite the increase in premier seats available for all fans especially the season ticket holders. This will be exciting. Too bad the renovations can't start right after this football season instead of the one after that. I believe the dakota dome has always been an underrated and underappreciated facility. It is the pioneer of domes in the Valley unless the UNI Dome edges it out by a couple of years.
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Post by thumper76 on Jul 28, 2017 21:56:25 GMT -6
I am going to make a guess that the renovations will include a walkway across the field on the South end zone that connects the opening of the SCSC where the windows are currently to the west end of the dome. Not an earth shattering prediction or anything but that could be a nice area for a cat walk that looks down on the field. There would be quite the increase in premier seats available for all fans especially the season ticket holders. This will be exciting. Too bad the renovations can't start right after this football season instead of the one after that. I believe the dakota dome has always been an underrated and underappreciated facility. It is the pioneer of domes in the Valley unless the UNI Dome edges it out by a couple of years. Um, you guys based it off of the UNIdome
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Post by Yotes on Jul 28, 2017 22:26:47 GMT -6
I am going to make a guess that the renovations will include a walkway across the field on the South end zone that connects the opening of the SCSC where the windows are currently to the west end of the dome. Not an earth shattering prediction or anything but that could be a nice area for a cat walk that looks down on the field. There would be quite the increase in premier seats available for all fans especially the season ticket holders. This will be exciting. Too bad the renovations can't start right after this football season instead of the one after that. I believe the dakota dome has always been an underrated and underappreciated facility. It is the pioneer of domes in the Valley unless the UNI Dome edges it out by a couple of years. Um, you guys based it off of the UNIdome Don't let reality get in his way.
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Post by thumper76 on Jul 28, 2017 23:10:50 GMT -6
Um, you guys based it off of the UNIdome Don't let reality get in his way. My bad lol Are there any renderings of the dome renovation anywhere?
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Post by Yotes on Jul 28, 2017 23:39:45 GMT -6
Don't let reality get in his way. My bad lol Are there any renderings of the dome renovation anywhere? No, not publicly at least. I'm not sure if I should expect anything drastic either until they've taken care of the offices and locker rooms. The West grandstand is likely the last phase of Dome renovations.
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Post by usdtator on Jul 31, 2017 18:35:31 GMT -6
From what I've heard, we really won't notice much of the stuff going in the 1st phase. Includes upgrades to Dome electrical and HVAC... much needed from what I heard.
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Post by GoYotes on Oct 4, 2017 8:40:43 GMT -6
I have seen some real preliminary pictures of the planned new football locker room, meeting room and coaches offices. They will be a huge upgrade. Outside of the pictures and the Volante article linked in the first post on this thread, I have seen little info.
One of the topics on the agenda for today's board of regents meeting is a request for approval of a Preliminary Facility Statement to begin planning for the renovation of the Dakota Dome. I also believe that Mick Garry stated in one of his recent Argus Leader live chats that he is working an article regarding the status of the Dakota Dome renovations. Am guessing much more info will be available in the very near future.
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Post by wrj on Oct 4, 2017 10:05:40 GMT -6
Is there a point at which it would make more sense to steer resources to replacing the Dakota Dome for football instead of investing more money into renovations and completion? What is a reasonable maximum number of fans it can support? What is a reasonable minimum number of seats to plan for in a facility that my have to last the next 40 years? Or more? How do those numbers compare?
Thirty-five or forty years ago a common reported crowd at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium was probably in the range of 2,000 to 4,000. Now, it is more likely to be 12,000 to 14,000, or more. Do you still see growth potential for the USD fan base? Will the D.D. support that growth, or limit it?
What happens if the Group of 5 conferences split with the Power 5, or vice-versa? If the Group of 5 seeks to add to their numbers by pulling up the best of the FCS universities will the D.D. support that move? Will USD fans be happy to stay down if several of the other teams in the Valley Football Conference move up? What if the capacity of the D.D. makes this the only choice?
If one or more wealthy fans/alumni of the coyotes should all of a sudden show up with a few tens of millions of dollars, would it be smarter to finish the Dakota Dome, or start over?
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 4, 2017 11:03:57 GMT -6
What if the capacity of the D.D. makes this the only choice? The 2015 Master Plan for Athletic Facilities lists a goal of increasing the capacity of the dome to 16,000. I assume they came up with this figure based on evaluating what is possible. Upper tier stands would probably be needed. The minimum for FBS is 15,000.
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Post by coyotecrazie5 on Oct 4, 2017 11:29:36 GMT -6
I saw somewhere where Herbster said the seating on the west side would go all of the way up like on the east side.
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Post by coyotecrazie5 on Oct 4, 2017 11:38:17 GMT -6
Here it is. He speaks briefly about upgrades from 2:40 to 3:40.
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Post by yote14 on Oct 4, 2017 11:49:02 GMT -6
Interesting that the USD/UND game set the all time high for viewership of a game at 28k households. It was at the beginning of the video.
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Post by Yotes on Oct 4, 2017 11:58:26 GMT -6
I've heard Herbster say before that we are looking at 50 more years in the Dome. Rebuilding isn't a thought at this point. We are so far away from needing 16k seating, let alone more than that. We will always have to turn people away for those marquee games. Rebuilding can be discussed once any given game against Indiana State or Southern Illinois fills the Dome at the expanded capacity.
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Post by Yote 53 on Oct 4, 2017 12:19:28 GMT -6
I cannot imagine how much noise there would be in that building at a 16,000 seat capacity. That place would be an absolute snakepit for any team to come into.
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