The University of Tennessee anticipates spending more than $200 million on Neyland Stadium renovations.
That's about twice the total cost that UT planned for, but four years ago no one could have predicted the steady rise in construction materials such as steel and concrete, said John Currie, UT's executive associate athletic director.
UT announced Wednesday that the second phase of the five-phase work should be complete for the home opener on Sept. 13.
"We're being as careful as we've always been to make sure we spend these dollars wisely that Tennessee fans and donors invest," Currie said.
Construction costs for projects like stadiums have gone up 16 percent from June 2007 to June 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. Ken Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America, said steel products had gone up 30 percent in the last year. Diesel, used to power trucks and equipment, has risen 85 percent in the same period, he said.
Currie took members of the media Wednesday on a tour of the latest stadium renovations, many of which are on the west side and aimed at improving access, safety and security, and comfort for fans.
UT gutted the west concourse, including its bathrooms and concessions that were built about 80 years ago, he said. Added were new bathrooms and concessions and a first-level mezzanine.
"A family of four chooses to come to Neyland Stadium on Saturdays, they need to be able get in and out without feeling like they're going to lose their kids, and be able to get in line for a bathroom without missing the second quarter," said Currie. "Basic fan amenities is what we've addressed."
The renovations also include the addition of the Lettermen's Room for UT's men and women athletes at the north end zone, a redesigned locker room and a new media center at the same end. New red brick walls line the field and its entrances.
During the first phase of work, finished in time for the 2006 season, UT improved infrastructure for water, electric, and sewer and renovated the concourse near Gate 21. The university added its East Club, which was used to fund its initial renovations.
Cost of the first two phases of the project will be about $55 million, Currie said. The Athletic Department doesn't get state allocations, so the project is funded with philanthropic gifts, bonds paid for with department revenues (many of which come from football) and the addition of club seating.
Currie said each phase is independent to ensure that the funding is in place for each phase before it begins.
UT plans to start on the third phase at the end of the 2008 season, but it won't include work on South Stadium Hall where three academic departments are located. One of those is the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, one of three departments proposed for closure.
Currie said work on the stadium's south end has been postponed indefinitely because of its expense and the presence of the academic departments.
"Basically, we can't do the south end project right now because we aren't going to displace the academic units," he said.
Work on the five-phase renovation project began in 2005. According to UT, the renovations should take 8 to 12 years to complete, provided funding is available.
Darren Dunlap may be reached at 865-342-6334.
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Comments » 44
caskew#218608 writes:
46 Days.......GO VOLS!
BillVol writes:
Removing the hedges was one of the dumbest things we've ever done. They were beautiful. Should have known that anything nice or tasteful at UT was doomed.
alfrizzle097 writes:
200 mil? How many kids could that put through school? All I can say is this had better be a darn nice stadium
VolPride_13 writes:
I agree BillVol, those hedges were really beautiful and looked great next to the brick!!!
WOW, 8 to 12 years. Hopefully it'll be the BEST looking stadium in College Football!!!
rocky_topper writes:
Well, here goes another ticket price increase and more begging from the athletic dept. to the boosters! Just watch and see!!!!
Maybe they should scale back some as everyone else in America is having to do.
Just a thought!
rusty_shackleford writes:
This is a HUGE economic engine. Looks like many contruction workers employed in the renovation process. Fans come to Knoxville six or seven weekends a year that probably wouldn't otherwise. They spend money in the hotels, restaurants, bars, malls and shops. Just try to get in the bookstore on a football Saturday!
Your righteous indignation can be spewed at the athletic department, but you are, in reality, spitting into the wind. Futile.
Greyback_Vol writes:
Looks great from what we're seeing so far. Like y'all, I don't like the removal of the hedges. Overall though I think the place will look AWESOME whenever these projects are finished.
CoverOrange writes:
Marc, the article stated "no one could have predicted the steady rise in construction materials", which is wrong. The construction contractors are pretty much on top of stuff like that and smart enough to write into the contract a cost plus clause, especially on a multi-year multi-phase project. You can build a house in less than a year so the risk is low.
Has anyone seen the new stadium Indianapolis built for the Colts? Looks like a huge warehouse built in the 1930s and, surprise!, a football field inside!
vol88 writes:
Bring back the hedges!
Sheepscape writes:
It's all perspective. All will be well with the fans, cost be damned, if Tennessee can beat Florida early on.
But, if the Vols lose(as usual) to the Gators, articles like this and the contract will make for a very heated fan base.
bloodrunsorange writes:
The stadium looks and sounds beautiful. With 4 kids in and going to UT, Mommy and Daddy Tennessee graduates will have to watch The Big Orange on TV probably most of the time. I wish my teaching salary had gone up 400% like gasoline. I’m sure there will be enough oil people, bankers, lawyers; etc… that will have the money to enjoy it. We always need to have the stadium packed and loud. The fans deserve the best. The team definitely deserves the best! I would just hope we all could afford to enjoy the best. Maybe next year I’ll try to teach in Sevier County and move. At least it would save a lot of gas that I could put into donations. I’m happy for everyone! Crompton and company are going to pleasantly surprise a lot of people in starting 45 days. GO BIG ORANGE!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
VolstuckINky 8:52- How long does Dupree have to send in the $2666.00?
Can it go directly to a Golden Corral gift card for certain coaches?
Go4Two writes:
If you want to bring in the best players you better have the best. Fla is spending a ton of money upgrading
Waldorf writes:
You think little Mikey has any sleepless nights knowing the corner he's backed himself into with Fulmer's contract and a $200M renovation whose costs seem to be balooning more and more daily?
Maybe there was a reason Dickey never stood up for him to get the job.........
CoverOrange writes:
Ohhhh, Naf, you almost did it! You got half way through a post before beating one of your two dead horses.
Volchaz writes:
i like the improvements, but this too, comes with a price....
arkyvol writes:
when was the last time U.T. spent $200 mil on one of its libraries?
i'm as big a fan of tennessee as any of the other posters, but i'm beginning to wonder if anyone gives a damn about how much difference there is between the respect given U.T. as a university and the respect given its athletic teams.
Brama writes:
Where has Currie been everybody has seen building materials climb the last four yrs.
volboy81#211803 writes:
46 days til its FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!
http://www.geocities.com/jerrybecker/...
MOOREVOLS writes:
I've worked in the steel business for 20 years now and the comment about not knowing prices would increase the way they have is correct. No one could have seen today's prices 2 or 3 years ago when the contracts were written. Even at that time prices were on the rise, but no one knew they would increase like they have. My guess is that the contractors put wording into the contracts that stated they had the right to increase their fees or prices if material costs increased to a certain level.
Right now steel prices are at the highest level I've seen in 20 years and we can't get solid information as to where the prices will go 2 or 3 months from now. We get pricing info from month to month. So,it doesn't surprise me that the cost for the improvements has gone through the roof.
By the way, the football team does give back to the university. A number of years ago the football team gave something like $500,000 of their bowl revenue to improve the library. Many improvements to academic buildings on campus are helped along with fooball money. Not all improvements, but many.
MOOREVOLS writes:
People on here complain about what the $200 million is being used for. The fact is the money was given by donors, for the most part, to be used for football improvements, athletic scholarships and other athletic needs. If people want to cry or complain to someone they need to take it up with the donors, not the football program or athletic department. They're only using the money for the purpose it was given.
lilmoorevols writes:
easy MOOREVOLS easy
miamiVOL writes:
hedges are not important, thats UGA's thing. They were nice, but big bulky and took up valuable room. with the new brick wall that is laid out i hope there is sufficient room ALL AROUND the field (esp. in the corners)
volboy81#211803 writes:
if we want quality, we have to pay for it! Decide if you want to compete or not. If you do, then don't complain about it, if you want to be mediocre or bad, then keep whining!
CoverOrange writes:
Marc, I'm not in the building industry either but I am somewhat familiar with contracts for large projects with large companies. MooreVols is probably correct that the contractor included market pricing of materials on a annual or semiannual basis. No smart contractor is going to contract themselves into bankruptcy.
What impresses me about the Indy stadium is that the RCA Dome used to dominate the skyline driving in on I-70. Now you hardly notice this large building which fits in with the surroundings and doesn't look big enough to fit a stadium inside.
What beguiles me is that the RCA Dome wasn't very old. Major cities are spending major hundreds of millions of dollars to build brand new 60k seat stadiums to replace decrepit 20 year old stadiums? And Neyland (or parts thereof) is 80 years old?
Sorry for the long post.
rusty_shackleford writes:
Look at this another way. If you donated $100K to the library or an academic department, would you want people who don't know you or your priorities getting online to whine about how YOU spent YOUR money?
CoverOrange writes:
Naf, maybe if you did give $2750 they could afford two books! LOL
tennisvol writes:
No recession for UT athletics. More big money for coaches and big building projects for athletics. Higher prices for tickets, charging students for football tickets and higher tuition for students.
Waldorf writes:
Rev. Wright is correct, his hard-earned money from the Taco Bell drive-thru should not go towards something he himself cannot do, aka read.
As for the library itself, go in there. It's actually quite nice and is a very bad example of things to be improved on the UT campus. If you want a good example, I would use Ayers Hall.
That said, most of the administration at UT really isn't pro-donor capital improvement projects because they are afraid that if donor money is used to fund one project, the state will have a trump card when UT goes back asking for funds for another upgrade. That is the reason it took so long to upgrade Glocker. I would say once completed, it will be very nice.
MOOREVOLS writes:
General--I don't like the ticket price increases either. That's more money out of my pocket too. But, if it gets to where I can't afford to go I won't blame the football team or athletic department. It's just the way of the world right now. There isn't much in this world now that isn't becoming more expensive.
Tennessee football and basketball are my only hobbies. Other than church and family that's where my money goes. I love football and basketball and I'll support them as much as I can without hurting my family. If I see my family will be hurt by it I'll quit going. But, I won't complain about the athletic department trying to improve something that I enjoy. Especially when they're trying to improve the very things many fans complain about.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Repair it, refurbish it, build some more suites, throw some wrought iron and paint on it, its still 90 years old.
A grand ol' lady on the banks of the Tennessee.
I still liked my old idea of having them run thru a giant glazed for pre-game.
With the red light on.
alfrizzle097 writes:
pdhuff: It would get the media interested again.
TommyJack writes:
Rev. Wright....now that's too funny.
CheckerboardPhilosopher writes:
VOLS NEW UNIFORMS?
http://3rdsaturdayinblogtober.wordpre...
Colliervol writes:
Note to our Memphis friends that seem to like to visit this site. See, now this article exemplifies what I've been trying to tell you for months now. We'll do $200 million to RENOVATE a stadium. You can't come up with a consensus to build an aluminum $50 million glorified high school stadium on campus. We probably spent that on the new women's softball and soccer stadiums and the new aquatics center.
Hope this helps clear up the question of who the big dog is around here and always will be. You can win a few basketball games (and heck, you might even beat UT every 3 years or so) while Calipari is around and that doesn't mean squat in the long run. We are UT and you aren't. It's that simple. Now move along and don't waste our time anymore.
rockytopfrog writes:
Ahh. John Currie. The guy who could not get a job as an AD somewhere else this year, so we kept him and gave him a raise. I totally understand that logic.?!?
By the way, our ticket hike is paying for that raise and for the dude managing the paper clips in Stokely until it closes. Thanks Mike.
TommyJack writes:
Checkerboard: Orange pants, white jerseys ok.
Orange on Orange extremely cheesy. Looks like directional school. I'm sure all will agree.
gohawks1 writes:
Don't care for the orange pants either way. Might as well be checkered pants.....
cdmav08 writes:
General_Watermelom.... im with ya there man
GoIrish writes:
Once a dump always a dump...
tnsupervol#262339 writes:
Speaking of dumps...I have been to South Bend 3 times and it is average at best
gbo
tnsupervol#262339 writes:
UT's athletic department is not spending taxpayer dollars....this project, like the basketball practice facility, TB Arena upgrades, ladies softball and soccer fields were all built with private maoney
It is also worth remembering that the Football program usually puts money back into the general find of the university, supports the pride of the southland marching band and funds every non-revenue sport, both men's and women's...you should also remember that success on the field equals more overall giving to the university including academic giving...Huge UT athletic donors are also academic donors...Like Haslem, Manning, Neyland and Dougherty
Academics and Athletics together are what makes UT a great university
gbo
rocky_topper writes:
Speaking of South Bend....I've been there three times as well. Although I admit it is a beautiful campus with beautiful architecture, their stadium lacks the criteria of even reaching the level of a dump!
vol4gzus writes:
highersandurs is not a happy camper is he today? Not nice to talk about the dead that way. Oh BTW his accomplishments are pretty meager compared to mine and yours(NOT!) I'll leave my comments about kittycats stadium out to spare you the embarrassment. Have a nice day! Momma always said if I couldn't say anything nice to not say anything at all. So see ya!
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