ExScoop
10-19-2011, 07:40 PM
From Houston Chronicle
Rice University has plans for an initial phase of a project that includes a new football facility and improvements to 62-year-old Rice Stadium, two people with knowledge of the proposal said this week.
The project, which is expected to cost close to $40 million, includes the construction of a football facility on the south side of the stadium.
One person said the improvements are deferred maintenance and not an overhaul of the existing stadium infrastructure.
The project is still pending approval by the school's board of trustees. A formal announcement is expected in early November.
The football facility will include coaches' offices, locker rooms, meeting rooms, weight room, training areas and other student services.
The current facility is in the south end zone of the stadium.
The stadium improvements and construction of a new football facility are part of a larger-scale initiative that will "go toward the long-term revitalization of the football program," the person said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details.
Funding for the project has not yet been secured, the person said.
In the past 10 years, Rice Stadium has undergone some changes, including the addition of a scoreboard in the north end zone and new playing surfaces.
Along with the covering of end-zone seating with tarps, the wooden bleachers were replaced with metal bleachers that lowered capacity from 70,000 to 47,000.
Rice Stadium opened Sept. 30, 1950. The stadium was host of Super Bowl VIII in 1974, won by the Miami Dolphins 24-7 over the Minnesota Vikings.
joseph.duarte@chron.com
Rice University has plans for an initial phase of a project that includes a new football facility and improvements to 62-year-old Rice Stadium, two people with knowledge of the proposal said this week.
The project, which is expected to cost close to $40 million, includes the construction of a football facility on the south side of the stadium.
One person said the improvements are deferred maintenance and not an overhaul of the existing stadium infrastructure.
The project is still pending approval by the school's board of trustees. A formal announcement is expected in early November.
The football facility will include coaches' offices, locker rooms, meeting rooms, weight room, training areas and other student services.
The current facility is in the south end zone of the stadium.
The stadium improvements and construction of a new football facility are part of a larger-scale initiative that will "go toward the long-term revitalization of the football program," the person said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details.
Funding for the project has not yet been secured, the person said.
In the past 10 years, Rice Stadium has undergone some changes, including the addition of a scoreboard in the north end zone and new playing surfaces.
Along with the covering of end-zone seating with tarps, the wooden bleachers were replaced with metal bleachers that lowered capacity from 70,000 to 47,000.
Rice Stadium opened Sept. 30, 1950. The stadium was host of Super Bowl VIII in 1974, won by the Miami Dolphins 24-7 over the Minnesota Vikings.
joseph.duarte@chron.com