New turf in the Dome

[Matt Trump]

Re: New turf in the Dome

I didn't realize it was such a wealthy school:

There's a reason their football team plays in PAPAJOHN'S Stadium.

Plus any school with big money Grad Programs such as Medical Schools, etc, are going to have a lot of money going back to it

[Big_Al]

Re: New turf in the Dome

Big Al, I'm pretty sure it would cost less to have a removeable floor or turf than it would to build the UNIdome itself as you stated...

Agreed, I highly doubt a new solution would run 16 million dollars (32 if you count the new roof).

Okay, and you base that opinion on what, exactly?

Installing a Field Turf surface isn't terribly expensive. That's why high schools around the country can afford to refit their fields. Remember, however, they don't use it for anything but football and maybe marching band practice. No special provisions are needed.

On the other hand, when you have a multi-use facility like the UNI-Dome, protecting the field surface becomes a priority and it simply can't be done inexpensively. Putting the field on trays is, simply stated, ridicuously expensive. A removable floor wouldn't be much cheaper. Not to mention you would have to build a storage facility for the trays or removable floor, whatever you choose. Granted, it could be done in a pre-fab steel building, but that alone is gonna be $300k - $500k onto the cost of whatever engineering is required for the floor itself.

Folks, sheets of plywood over the playing surface simply wouldn't cut it. First, you'd have trip hazards from every seam and the fact that you'd never be able to get the floor level. Second, plywood would still telegraph to the surface underneath if you put something heavy like a truck or an RV or equipment on it, meaning rework of the surface at minimum or damaging the turf itself at worst. Finally, the cost of putting down that floor will be several times more expensive than rolling out astroturf because of the labor involved.

Unless the economics change to where UNI athletics generates positive revenue or one of us wins the lottery and donates the $$$ needed to change the floor, I don't see UNI changing from the Astroturf anytime soon.

[dustin86]

Re: New turf in the Dome

How would we pay for the new turf in the dome
DARE I SAY RAISE TICKETS PRICES?!?!?!

[06panther10]

Re: New turf in the Dome

Al, we never said that it would not be expensive. I know that it would be expensive. But you stated that it would be more expensive than it was to build the entire UNIdome. That is where I disagree. Do you honestly think it would cost more to lay down ANY type of surface or floor than it would to build a giant dome? wrong.

[Big_Al]

Re: New turf in the Dome

06p10-

Yes, I do. The fieldturf itself wouldn't be too bad. You could probably retrofit the floor and install it for a million or so, maybe less. That would be for a non-removable permanent surface. Now what do you do for track meets and RV shows and various other uses of the UNI Dome? The problem is maintaining a multi-purpose venue. FieldTurf makes a lot of sense in a single-purpose venue.

Again, the cost of either a removable field surface or removable floor surface would be ridiculously expensive. Huge dollars. Look at that picture in the article I linked to on Wm. Penn. Did you see what they were doing? They were spreading about 4" of sand and working it into the turf. You would have to engineer movable trays to support enormous weight. Not to mention have the equipment to then move them. A removable floor wouldn't be as heavy, but it would need to support RVs and the like on top of it without damaging the turf below. The engineering required to do either does not come cheaply.

If you were to build the UNI Dome today, $16 million would probably cover about 10% of the cost, assuming you built it on the cheap. Do you know what new pro sports venues cost nowadays? I remember touring American Airlines Arena (home of the Mavs & the Stars) in Dallas, TX back before it was opened in 2001. That facility was $450 million. From what I've read, the new Dallas Cowboys stadium will cost in the range of a billion dollars. Now those are much more extravagant than the UNI Dome is or will ever be, but even a fraction of those prices would be an enormous debt for UNI to take on.

I'm afraid even raising the ticket prices wouldn't cover the cost.

Edit: I mean to say installing a new, removable floor would cost more than the UNI Dome originally cost to build in the late 70s.

[TravelingPanther]

Re: New turf in the Dome

[QUOTE=9YRPLAN;124061]are you sure the turf wasnt replaced around 1997? QUOTE]

No, look at midfield. You can still see the faded "prowling" panther.

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: New turf in the Dome

I think I've brought this up before but here are 3 solutions made by astroturf for conversion systems
http://www.astroturfusa.com/product/conversion.html

While I'm sure these are all expensive options I still have a hard time believing it would be near $16 million

[Matt Trump]

Re: New turf in the Dome

[QUOTE=Rob Weiss;124087]

are you sure the turf wasnt replaced around 1997? QUOTE]

No, look at midfield. You can still see the faded "prowling" panther.

The prowling panther was not replaced until after 1999

[Big_Al]

Re: New turf in the Dome

While I'm sure these are all expensive options I still have a hard time believing it would be near $16 million

It doesn't appear like any of those options would require retrofitting the Dome itself, so I can't imagine where they would be terribly expensive.

Edit: Found several articles that put Astroturf in the $1million to $1.4 million range.

[SteinPizza]

Re: New turf in the Dome

Does anyone know the expected lifespan of the UNI-Dome? I'm sure we're nowhere near it, just curious. I'm not talking about the individual components, but the expected lifespan before retrofits, fixes, etc. make working on the facility unsustainable, and it's better to build new.

I'll take a guess and say the air pressure system and roof components might dictate this. That's got to be pretty niche' equipment that's made by very few companies, and/or not made at all sometime in the future.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: New turf in the Dome

Does anyone know the expected lifespan of the UNI-Dome? I'm sure we're nowhere near it, just curious. I'm not talking about the individual components, but the expected lifespan before retrofits, fixes, etc. make working on the facility unsustainable, and it's better to build new.

I'll take a guess and say the air pressure system and roof components might dictate this. That's got to be pretty niche' equipment that's made by very few companies, and/or not made at all sometime in the future.

The Dome isn't air inflated anymore. It is a rigid roof since the last collapse (basically). I have no idea about how long it will all last, though...many more years if maintenance is done, I'm sure.

[SteinPizza]

Re: New turf in the Dome

The Dome isn't air inflated anymore. It is a rigid roof since the last collapse (basically). I have no idea about how long it will all last, though...many more years if maintenance is done, I'm sure.

Thanks for the update. I should've guessed that. I took a walk around in there last fall and noticed the new superstructure on the roof. I also should've noticed I didn't get blown out the door.

[Big_Al]

Re: New turf in the Dome

As long as the building is properly maintained, it should last the rest of our lifetimes. A good roof (read: not leaky) is key.

[in_the_stands]

Re: New turf in the Dome

Didn't the new rigid roof leak, and didn't UNI sue the contractors? (Or did I dream that?) I'd guess the roof will continue to be the biggest problem and limiting factor of the Dome's lifespan.

[Whitey81]

Re: New turf in the Dome

How would we pay for the new turf in the dome
DARE I SAY RAISE TICKETS PRICES?!?!?!

We couldn't do that, with all the homes in foreclosure and all...