Process moves forward on Razorback football stadium expansion
by February 1, 2013 12:38 pm 113 views
The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved the selection of architect/engineer design and construction manager/general contractor teams to conduct a market and cost analysis for a potential expansion of the north end zone of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Friday.
The Board approved the selection of Populous (Kansas City, Mo.) and Polk Stanley Wilcox (Little Rock and Fayetteville) as the architect/engineer design team and Flintco, LLC (Springdale and Tulsa, Okla.) as the construction manager/general contractor to conduct the study.
On Thursday, the building and grounds committee approved the request before forwarding it to the full Board of Trustees for final approval on Friday morning.
“The market and cost analysis will provide us specific details and estimates that will enable us to make a fully informed decision on a potential expansion of the north end zone,” Jeff Long, vice chancellor and Director of Athletics, said in a statement. “It is imperative that we consider the many variables involved in the project, including the potential cost of an expansion and what type of additional seating would best accommodate the current and future demand of our fans. We appreciate the continued support of our Board of Trustees as we continue the implementation of our strategic approach to facility planning.”
The purpose of the analysis is to examine the variables associated with an expansion such as seating capacity, design, construction, economic variables and the demand for additional seating, all of which should be studied when considering the feasibility of a stadium expansion.
If the university determines the expansion to be viable and a decision is made to proceed, the project will be brought back to the Board of Trustees for approval prior to beginning of the actual project.
The funding of the market and cost analysis study and any potential project will be from athletic revenues, gifts, and bond proceeds from a future bond issue amortized using athletic revenues generated from the stadium expansion. No University funds would be required to complete the analysis or the project.