Sun Dome Renovation Thread

[Bullpride08]

So can athletics release some renderings now that USF has approved the funding?

That information was important in showing signs that the entire USF administration is getting behind upgrading USF athletics.  They're spending cash reserves on the equity-- wow that doesn't sound like the USF I know.  Also cash reserves means they've been operating in surpluses...hmmm sounds like someone at USF can balance a budget- maybe the state or federal government should hire them. >

Also good to see the Foundation backing up the debt with guaranteed debt service payments.  I know they've done that for all of these capital improvements, part of the bond underwriting requirement, but there willingness to offer this after doing it on the previous athletic improvements tells me there is a desire by USF to get athletics upgraded collective now and not wait any longer.  I am finally starting to get the feeling like we're doing what we're suppose to do as a University to help athletics.  Let's hope they keep it up.

[hightechbull]

USF approves financing for $35 million Sun Dome renovation

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Tuesday, March 8, 2011

TAMPA — The Sun Dome, home to USF's basketball programs and many concerts and community events for 30 years, could be weeks away from a $35 million renovation, a long-overdue makeover the university is expecting to triple the arena's annual revenues from last year.

"We're very excited to give it a facelift; the Sun Dome is a huge facility, and this is a big project," said Mark Walsh, USF's assistant vice president for government relations. "Once this is completed, we'll be able to do a lot more with it."

USF approved its plan and financing for the $35 million project — $8.5 million will be paid with cash reserves, with the remainder financed over 20 years — with the hopes of extending the arena for "an additional 30 years." What remains is approval March 24 at a Tallahassee meeting of the Board of Governors, which must approve any major project for the state's public universities.

Read the rest: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/colleges/article1155900.ece

Want to bet that Rick Scott will shoot down this project as well?

[Guest Sunburned]

the SunDome is a state facility, not a USF facility. 

Please explain why the USF Sun Dome (not SunDome) is a state facility rather than a USF facility.

[Bullpride08]

USF approves financing for $35 million Sun Dome renovation

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Tuesday, March 8, 2011

TAMPA — The Sun Dome, home to USF's basketball programs and many concerts and community events for 30 years, could be weeks away from a $35 million renovation, a long-overdue makeover the university is expecting to triple the arena's annual revenues from last year.

"We're very excited to give it a facelift; the Sun Dome is a huge facility, and this is a big project," said Mark Walsh, USF's assistant vice president for government relations. "Once this is completed, we'll be able to do a lot more with it."

USF approved its plan and financing for the $35 million project — $8.5 million will be paid with cash reserves, with the remainder financed over 20 years — with the hopes of extending the arena for "an additional 30 years." What remains is approval March 24 at a Tallahassee meeting of the Board of Governors, which must approve any major project for the state's public universities.

Read the rest: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/colleges/article1155900.ece

Want to bet that Rick Scott will shoot down this project as well?

Huh?  This isn't a nickel drag on our state budget so why would he even raise an eyebrow.  In fact, this isn't even an approval that will involve Scott so he will have no reason to look at.  This is the way FL runs it's University system in that all capital improvements and work on campuses must run through the State BOT.  But this isn't anything like a scenario where this is being funded in the state's 2011 budget...in which case Scott could shoot it down, and frankly as a tax payer of a state who's budget is nearly $4Billion out of wack I would want him to shoot it down, because before this state improves a universities convocation center they need to balance their budget first (of course it falls on deaf ears in this country where more people declared bankrupcy, and were foreclosed on then ever before and our individual and household debt ratios per capita are nearly twice as high as the next highest developmed nations-- a country of instant gratification is what will be our demise)....but the hypothetical I just spoke of is irrelevant because that is not the situation here where USF is funding and guaranteeing everything so the financing itself isn't what has to be approved just the construction.  They just need the BOT to approve any and call construction and improvements on any campuses.

[Bullpride08]

the SunDome is a state facility, not a USF facility. 

Please explain why the USF Sun Dome (not SunDome) is a state facility rather than a USF facility.

We are not the owners of the Sun Dome.  USF did not build it, just gave the land for it to be built on.  It was funded from state funds, and not for the exclusive use of USF.  At the time of it's construction it was the largest indoor facilities in the region, and so it was thought to be needed for community events like conventions, and events.  It was funded from state general purpose funds for community use, and in fact I believe USF requested with the help of a bunch of local community leaders who were able to get the state to foot the bill on the premise the area needed a community center to host all these events.  Since it's construction Tampa has built and expanded a large Convention Center, they have the St. Pete Times Forum, the Ampitheater, and the Performing Arts Center (can you believe the SunDome preceeded all of that)...so the SunDome is no longer needed as the multi-functional arena for the region and the region could careless about it's use and quite frankly it competes with other city and county owned facilities for events now.

USF doesn't actually own it, or we didn't for decades.  If we do own it now, or are taking it over after all these improvements it will not raise an eyebrow with the state or local community leaders any longer.  It's a cash drag keeping it as a multi-use facility, and is owned or was owned by a non-profit who had no real affiliation to USF and wasn't entitled to grant USF exclusive rights.  People can tell you about days when our hoops teams have had to practice in the USF Workout Center because of motivational speakers, or karate tournaments that booked at the same time. They use to try and get naming rights for the Dome but they could never get state officials to agree to give all the funds for the name to USF...so it never got off the ground.  I am hoping that us putting $35MM of our own money into this and still acting as the primary tenant will finally get the state to either be more open or just deed it over to USF.

[Guest Sunburned]

the SunDome is a state facility, not a USF facility. 

Please explain why the USF Sun Dome (not SunDome) is a state facility rather than a USF facility.

We are not the owners of the Sun Dome.  USF did not build it, just gave the land for it to be built on.  It was funded from state funds, and not for the exclusive use of USF.  At the time of it's construction it was the largest indoor facilities in the region, and so it was thought to be needed for community events like conventions, and events.  It was funded from state general purpose funds for community use, and in fact I believe USF requested with the help of a bunch of local community leaders who were able to get the state to foot the bill on the premise the area needed a community center to host all these events.  Since it's construction Tampa has built and expanded a large Convention Center, they have the St. Pete Times Forum, the Ampitheater, and the Performing Arts Center (can you believe the SunDome preceeded all of that)...so the SunDome is no longer needed as the multi-functional arena for the region and the region could careless about it's use and quite frankly it competes with other city and county owned facilities for events now.

USF doesn't actually own it, or we didn't for decades.  If we do own it now, or are taking it over after all these improvements it will not raise an eyebrow with the state or local community leaders any longer.  It's a cash drag keeping it as a multi-use facility, and is owned or was owned by a non-profit who had no real affiliation to USF and wasn't entitled to grant USF exclusive rights.  People can tell you about days when our hoops teams have had to practice in the USF Workout Center because of motivational speakers, or karate tournaments that booked at the same time. They use to try and get naming rights for the Dome but they could never get state officials to agree to give all the funds for the name to USF...so it never got off the ground.  I am hoping that us putting $35MM of our own money into this and still acting as the primary tenant will finally get the state to either be more open or just deed it over to USF.

I believe you are wrong about ownership of the Dome, and the reason approval of the BOG is need.  According to Greg Auman, "What remains is approval March 24 at a Tallahassee meeting of the Board of Governors, which must approve any major project for the state's public universities.

http://www.flbog.org/aboutsus/ubt.php

[Bullpride08]

the SunDome is a state facility, not a USF facility. 

Please explain why the USF Sun Dome (not SunDome) is a state facility rather than a USF facility.

We are not the owners of the Sun Dome.  USF did not build it, just gave the land for it to be built on.  It was funded from state funds, and not for the exclusive use of USF.  At the time of it's construction it was the largest indoor facilities in the region, and so it was thought to be needed for community events like conventions, and events.  It was funded from state general purpose funds for community use, and in fact I believe USF requested with the help of a bunch of local community leaders who were able to get the state to foot the bill on the premise the area needed a community center to host all these events.  Since it's construction Tampa has built and expanded a large Convention Center, they have the St. Pete Times Forum, the Ampitheater, and the Performing Arts Center (can you believe the SunDome preceeded all of that)...so the SunDome is no longer needed as the multi-functional arena for the region and the region could careless about it's use and quite frankly it competes with other city and county owned facilities for events now.

USF doesn't actually own it, or we didn't for decades.  If we do own it now, or are taking it over after all these improvements it will not raise an eyebrow with the state or local community leaders any longer.  It's a cash drag keeping it as a multi-use facility, and is owned or was owned by a non-profit who had no real affiliation to USF and wasn't entitled to grant USF exclusive rights.  People can tell you about days when our hoops teams have had to practice in the USF Workout Center because of motivational speakers, or karate tournaments that booked at the same time. They use to try and get naming rights for the Dome but they could never get state officials to agree to give all the funds for the name to USF...so it never got off the ground.  I am hoping that us putting $35MM of our own money into this and still acting as the primary tenant will finally get the state to either be more open or just deed it over to USF.

I believe you are wrong about ownership of the Dome, and the reason approval of the BOG is need.  According to Greg Auman, "What remains is approval March 24 at a Tallahassee meeting of the Board of Governors, which must approve any major project for the state's public universities.

http://www.flbog.org/aboutsus/ubt.php

I am not wrong.  The SunDome was funded by state money 30 years ago- and not University money.  Those of us that have been in and around the Athletic Department for decades have heard all the stories.  This is why there's never been an agreement struck on naming rights.  It's been a hot topic in the past in donor meetings and so forth. 

Actually the real "owner" of the SunDome is named Sun Dome Inc., a 501c3 that is operated by USF, but USF is responsible for staffing it.  For decades Sun Dome Inc., has been operated independent of USF, and their financial records were audited and given annually to the state.  This is why for decades we've always had to endure scheduling conflicts where USF has had to play second fidde-- you don't think if we ran and owned the Sun Dome we would schedule events that forced our hoops program to practice in the intermurial courts, or on the volleyball courts do you?   This is also why the facility has always had a very sterile and aesthetic appearance, aside from the court which is owned by USF.

Now there may be some semantical change that have occurred recently where the Dome has or will be deeded over to USF if we make these improvements.  That is a lot of money for USF to sock into the Sun Dome to not receive 100% of the funds for the naming rights, and not have control of scheduling, and structural appearance.  I wonder if USF didn't go to the state with a structural report explaining it's functional obsolesence and asking the state for money, and when they said 'no', USF offered to do it if they turned it over to them....I'll have to ask around about that.

As for the Board of Governors...the state owns the University and all the facilities on it, or rather indirectly they do....outside of athletic facilities which are usually funded, owned, and operated by private enterprises that run the athletic department.  With that being said the Board of Governors are obligated by State Law to approve ALL capital improvements on their land.  The land where the Sun Dome is, where USF is, is owned by The State of Florida.  Therefore they must approve the designs, the structures, the improvements.

[crambone]

Bring it on...March 25th is marked on my calendar!!!

[outrunner]

Bring it on...March 25th is marked on my calendar!!!

Extreme Makeover: Sun Dome Edition

Everyone show up at dawn with hardhats and sledgehammers.

[Guest Sunburned]

 Those of us that have been in and around the Athletic Department for decades have heard all the stories.  This is why there's never been an agreement struck on naming rights.   

Excuse me, but wasn't Action Sports Media, commissioned by USF back around 2005 to find a buyer for or the naming rights to Sun Dome??  Didn't ASM secure a 6 year, $3,450,000 deal with Academic Financial Services in 2007 for those rights, only to have USF nix the deal because of AFS's  negative reputation?