Now that it's over???

[Winder/aka Dan Holmes]

When was the last big spenditure on Football?

Okay, maybe the jumbo-tron, but the thing is antiquated and in need of constant upkeep. But it is cool to have it, yet was it really for football?

Will the turf be replaced in the near future? I'm assuming it's probably past the guaranteed lifetime. Heaven knows the grip "ain't what it used to be!"

The pitiful scoreboard. I believe the contributors to the scoreboard have gotten their monies worth. During the high school playoffs, the board went dead and we couldn't fix it with our normal "wiggle the wires" routine. For some reason, I pulled the fuse twice to bring it back to life. The two controllers were manufactured in 1993 and 1998. When is the last time you've seen a college scoreboard using bulbs.

Now someone out there is going to pop off about not having a national championship or not pulling in sell out crowds, yet why don't we have the updates.

While I'm rambling, it would be nice to eliminate the camera platform below us. I can envision making the entire center section where the announcers and clock crew sit for television and team filmers. Then replace the camera platform with an area for the announcers and clock crew. This would stop the constant haggling of moving the cameras so we can see the field. Being isolated from the other folks would be nice, well maybe not to the announcer. He's always being subjected to sophomoric humor.

I realize that everyone in the world has donated to the McCleod Center and no one is interested in the Dome. This was just post football dreaming.

Thanks for reading.

[BCPanther]

I agree Winder. Its time to invest in the Dome again. I think luxury boxes could be constructed on the north end in the former storage area. The score and video boards should be replaced and I am thinking that replacing seats would not be a terrible idea either. If we want to attract the I-AA title game we need to have a top notch facility.

The Cowboys, Vikings, and Falcons all use a removable field turf that has two pieces that roll up. This would also make the Dome more attractive and safer. I think this is the issue along with the boards that need to be addressed first!

[Panthers to the Bone]

Winder-

I have thought for some time that it would be great for some of the HPC construction continue into the Dome. Maybe have the area b/t the Panther room and the HOF room have a walkway between them with maybe a suite. Glass that whole north wall of the Dome in. That would make it look nicer. The turf I have heard is in the budget to replace in the next year or so, but I can't recall the exact date. I'm sure they want to go to the spin turf (or whatever they call it), but I'm sure storage is going to be something they are going to have to figure out.

I don't think this team needs to win a national championship to get facilities upgrades, but I do think it's going to be 3-4 years before anything gets done. Why? First there is the HPC and then the next thing to be tackled is the softball complex. I believe that Hartzell has stated himself that the softball complex is on his short list of things to get done.

What are your top three things you would like to see done in the Dome?

Mine?
1. A new scoreboard on the north end
2. Maybe some actual 'seats' (similar to the Mac) for the premium ticket holders (and no, I'm not one of them )
3. Filled in north end zone...with luxury boxes and some open air seats.

[Newsbreaker]

The scoreboards are BADLY in need of being replaced, and soon. It's going to be a necessity, not a desire, before too long.

That video board, while VERY cool and a nice source of revenue, is not long for this world. It wasn't fantastic when new, we got it after it was repossessed from it's original owners, and was put up in the dome by a very "bargain" group of people who apparently did so in such a way that didn't exactly minimize potential damage.

The thing is, we bought it, and when it dies (and it will) we're going to have to immediately replace it. Hopefully, they do the 'right' thing and replace it, and both score boards all at once.

As a potential revenue stream, I wonder how a 'ribbon' board could be incorporated around the rim of the dome.

It's really too bad, when the dome was worked on a few years ago, that this new synthetic turf wasn't available. It would've been nice to put that in, then have a solid track surface that could go OVER it, rather then the track being UNDER our current turf.

[Chitown Panther]

I love these ideas.....I'm all for more FB spending. I know money is very tight...but we need to keep our facilities the TOP of the GFC.....especially with SDSU and NDSU around the corner.....

Did the new lockers in the locker room happen?

People need to open their wallets and join the PSC.....everyone talks about how great it is that the drive brought in over $1MM....but I think its pathetic.....

[uninisg]

Earlier this year when I was touring the yet to be completed Mac, they talked about having a track that connects the concourse level of the Mac, then extend the Concourse of the Dome (level with the concessions) all the way around the Dome and connect that with the HPC and the indoor track in WRC to have one continous loop. Don't know what happened with that, but you got to figure if they do that to the Dome, they should fix others things too.

[JayJ79]

I'm not a track person, but I'm curious as to what the advantages would be to having the track surface on top of the football turf as opposed to the current situation?

[UNI Prof]

I brought this up in another post, but I'll say it here as well; the north end zone is an eyesore. I understand that the HPC construction will redo part of the north, but it will likely require more than that. Also, it would seem that the boxes on both sides could be upgraded to look better and have better ammenities. Finally, I'd propose making all of the seats Purple and Gold like the ones in the Mac. It's never made sense to me to have the rainbow seating.

[JayJ79]

I've never had problems with the seating in the dome (other than the spilled pop that is always all over the floor/seats after HS playoff weekend. but that's unavoidable).

Thus, IMO, scoreboard/jumbotron improvements should take priority. and I've personally never been on the turf, but I could understand it needing replacing.

Besides, according to some of y'all, nobody should be sitting during the game anyway

[BCPanther]

I tore up my knee on that turf in High School. The seems (Especially away from midfield) are really nasty. I got my shoe caught on the 15 yard line on the north end and my body kept going but my leg did not.

There are not very many places with true Astroturf, like we have, left. There is a FieldTurf that is removable and can be rolled up in sections, just like what we have now, I think that this needs to be installed immediately.

[UNIAlum95]

There is a budget for new turf. The issue is storage at this point. Yes you can roll the new stuff but it isn't as easily stored. They are working on this.

The video board has new parts on order and will be repaired. You guys are right that the scoreboards need to be replaced. At one time the north end was discussed to be a new scholarship club concourse or alumni association suite.

[TravelingPanther]

Need new turf, update scoreboards, fix video board and more club room space.

[PantherChic]

What about seats that are school colors? I know it's easy to see the sections, etc - but would look great to have school colors on the seats.

[Winder/aka Dan Holmes]

Nothing like making the opponents see "PURPLE"

[jegbomb52]

I'm not a track person, but I'm curious as to what the advantages would be to having the track surface on top of the football turf as opposed to the current situation?

The Track & Field Staff would love to have a track on top of new turf in the dome. Reasons:

I am sure they would like a new track as well.

Warming up on Field Turf is awesome for athletes.

With a new track that sets up on top of the field the UNI-Dome and the University of Northern Iowa could host its first Indoor National Championships. Something they can not do right now due to the fact that they don't have a banked track.



On a side note, tell me that if they get new turf in the dome they don't ruin the sight of it by painting yellow soccer lines on it like some of the other eye sore fields in the league.