Where should LaTech rebuild baseball stadium

[sportdawg]

https://www.newsleader.com/story/new...um/3638869002/

Nielson & Caruthers location is not mentioned

Among those possibilities are the intramural field on Alabama across the street from Joe Aillet Stadium, which is adjacent to the softball and soccer fields, and what's known as the "rugby field" on Tech Drive across the street from the Lambright Intramural Center.
Both of those sites are basically shovel ready.

Officials with Louisiana's Office of Risk Management said the baseball stadium's maximum insurance benefit is $2.3 million for a total loss, which is only a fraction of the cost of a new facility.

[SpaceDawg]

Looking at the satellite view on Google Maps, it appears the Rugby Field is not nearly big enough. You'd have to remove/reroute the road going into the JAS parking lot and possibly cut into the football practice field to have a nice layout. I don't see that happening.

The intramural field has a bigger footprint, but once you lay out the grandstand structure and other necessities, I don't think it would fit there either.

I agree that the Nielson & Caruthers area should be considered. Take out Railroad Avenue by the tracks and even part of the current Mitchell parking lot if necessary. There is also the area from the Hut.

But my vote is to leave it where it is.

[johnnyb019]

I cant find it but there was an athletics master plan where the current rd coming into football stadium from tech drive was removed. Bulldog drive was made to go from tech drive to alabama along the tree line. softball field was located at the old entrance and rugby field. they could use those plans but put baseball there and move softball where baseball currently is

[johnnyb019]

https://abwarchitects.com/work/academic/master-plan-for-athletic-and-recreation-complex-louisiana-tech-university/

here is a similar plan but the one i saw bulldog drive was extended from alabama to tech dr and the current entrance to stadium form tech drive was removed



edited: https://press-herald.com/la-tech-introduces-master-plan-2020/

i think this is the one i originally saw. this one has indoor practice facility for football. i was wrong on the softball location. i think that was just for the link above

[dawg80]

Build back where it is. The dorms out in left field gives ballpark "old time" charm. However, build a modern stadium but will "old time" look, lots of brick! Can build up, a second deck to expand seating and that would leave more of the "down the lines" for other attractions. Like a "beer garden-tailgate area." Also put some kind of permanent bleachers behind the right field wall, with brick and very attractive.

[PawDawg]

Build back where it is. The dorms out in left field gives ballpark "old time" charm. However, build a modern stadium but will "old time" look, lots of brick! Can build up, a second deck to expand seating and that would leave more of the "down the lines" for other attractions. Like a "beer garden-tailgate area." Also put some kind of permanent bleachers behind the right field wall, with brick and very attractive.

I'm starting to lean this way after first wanting to start from scratch across the RR Tracks in the old dorms location (current "green space").

We need a few more feet down the lines and that can easily be done with relocation of the grand stands toward Alabama and Tech Drive. We also need seating down the lines along with some seating (or a deck) in the left field area. Keep the traditional area open in right field since we gain some space away from the RR track out there.

Next year does not look promising for play in a new park so let's do it right for the 2021 season.

[johnnyb019]

with the ncaa having a recommended distance to fence and techs being so much shorter than that. would that play a factor into tech getting or not getting a host opportunity. i dont know if that much room could be made up by moving the stands back.

[dawg80]

with the ncaa having a recommended distance to fence and techs being so much shorter than that. would that play a factor into tech getting or not getting a host opportunity. i dont know if that much room could be made up by moving the stands back.

How much more distance do we need?

[FriscoDawg]

How much more distance do we need?

5 to 30 feet.

Regional and Super Regional hosting opportunities are based on having adequate seating capacity. Once chairbacks were put in, the current grandstand capacity dropped to well under 1,400. The only way to build a stadium with close to the recommended dimensions and have adequate seating (should be looking at 3,000 minimum expandable to 5,000) on the present site would be to knock down the three apartment buildings that were built too close to the stadium in the first place.

The present site would be perfect for a nice 2,000 seat softball stadium with extra parking included.

[Exes&Ohs]

5 to 30 feet.

Regional and Super Regional hosting opportunities are based on having adequate seating capacity. Once chairbacks were put in, the current grandstand capacity dropped to well under 1,400. The only was to build a stadium with close to the recommended dimensions and have adequate seating (should be looking at 3,000 minimum expandable to 5,000) on the present site would be to knock down the three apartment buildings that were build too close to the stadium in the first place.

The present site would be perfect for a nice 2,000 seat softball stadium with extra parking included.

You are suggesting a facility with a price tag of over ten million. Where will we get the money. Remember we took around 4yrs to collect 9mil, half the amount needed for our end zone facility. Floated bonds for the rest, 9Mil or so, with students obligated to pay that off with at least 20yrs to go on that. Cant depend on students for any more and I doubt we could look to the Foundation for help. They loaned the athletic dept 12mil for the press box addition and no one knows when that can be repaid thus Foundation is in no position to loan out more millions without a specific repayment plan. Time for the heavy hitters to ante up or else we will see only a patch job on existing structure and that isnt good.

[PawDawg]

You are suggesting a facility with a price tag of over ten million. Where will we get the money. Remember we took around 4yrs to collect 9mil, half the amount needed for our end zone facility. Floated bonds for the rest, 9Mil or so, with students obligated to pay that off with at least 20yrs to go on that. Cant depend on students for any more and I doubt we could look to the Foundation for help. They loaned the athletic dept 12mil for the press box addition and no one knows when that can be repaid thus Foundation is in no position to loan out more millions without a specific repayment plan. Time for the heavy hitters to ante up or else we will see only a patch job on existing structure and that isnt good.

Up jumps the guy who is clueless and wishes we were FCS and playing the Southland.

[FriscoDawg]

You are suggesting a facility with a price tag of over ten million. Where will we get the money. Remember we took around 4yrs to collect 9mil, half the amount needed for our end zone facility. Floated bonds for the rest, 9Mil or so, with students obligated to pay that off with at least 20yrs to go on that. Cant depend on students for any more and I doubt we could look to the Foundation for help. They loaned the athletic dept 12mil for the press box addition and no one knows when that can be repaid thus Foundation is in no position to loan out more millions without a specific repayment plan. Time for the heavy hitters to ante up or else we will see only a patch job on existing structure and that isnt good.

If Tech doesn't invest in a stadium that will meet the needs of the program for the next 50 years, it would be better off to upgrade the Ruston High stadium and play there.

Either do it right, and don't do it at all.

[The Historian]

You are suggesting a facility with a price tag of over ten million. Where will we get the money.

For starters the State's Self-Insured Fund will pay $2.3 million. I suspect FEMA will end up covering the rest. If we get dollars to rebuild the stadium way it was built in 1967-68 (not precast or aluminum or a combination of both) but thick poured concrete I think it would bring $7 million to $10 million. Maybe more.

[The Historian]

Cant depend on students for any more

Really! Tech students pay almost nothing in students fees for athletics compared to most of our competitors.

Even for projects on campus in the last 30 years like the Lambright Center expansion or Centennial Plaza we ask so little of our students that we have to "value engineer" a project down to get it completed because we didn't want to ask enough of our students to begin with.

Yet, to the credit of our alumni base a proposed student fee hasn't been turned down at Tech in at least 40 years. The only project I've been able to find since the 70s that got less than 60% support of our students was the Centennial Plaza project which came up for a vote in 1992.

[The Historian]

I doubt we could look to the Foundation for help. They loaned the athletic dept 12mil for the press box addition and no one knows when that can be repaid thus Foundation is in no position to loan out more millions without a specific repayment plan.

Your post suggests the athletic department went to the Foundation and took out a loan as if it were a bank. The reality is the university simply used the Foundation to run the debt through rather than float bonds. Specifically because they intend to pay it off through fundraising efforts rather than use the revenue it's generating, which is going into the operating budget. Part of the press box debt will be paid off through the 125th anniversary fundraising project.

Tech is also in the process of raising funds for an academic support facility for athletics, which will run into 8 figures.