Site preparation began today for the new multi-use stadium on the Colorado State University campus. A fence has been erected around the perimeter of the site, south of the intersection of Pitkin Street and Meridian Avenue. Inside that perimeter, crews will begin preparing the site for the start of construction by recycling concrete and asphalt from surface parking lots and continuing work related to utility planning.
Construction will begin later this summer on the stadium, and a ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the beginning of the two-year building process will take place during the weekend of CSU’s Sept. 12 home game against Big Ten foe Minnesota.
“This is an exciting step as we begin moving toward the start of construction for our new on-campus stadium,” said CSU Director of Athletics Joe Parker. “A great deal of vision, collaboration and hard work by the University and the community has brought us to this point. As we begin to see the site take shape, we will continue to be mindful of the impact of this and other construction projects taking place on our campus, and encourage everybody in our campus community to utilize the resources available to stay informed.”
The recycled parking lot material will be used in construction of new parking 870-space parking lot slated to open in August on Research Drive, west of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Colorado State students, staff and faculty have a new interactive resource that will provide timely information on road and lot closures, detours and other information as the stadium and other campus-wide construction projects commence over the summer. Online information will be continuously updated on the Construction and Parking website. The site also offers a feedback form where thoughts and input about construction and parking can be offered for consideration.
The Campus Construction and Parking News website contains detailed maps of outlining changes to available parking lots, as well as mass transit and other traffic flow resources for all who access the CSU campus.
The new stadium is scheduled to open in time for the 2017 football season. Construction will take approximately two years to complete the new state-of-the-art on-campus stadium that will also house new offices and facilities for the Rams’ football program. The new facility will replace Hughes Stadium, which opened in 1968 and is located approximately three miles west of the CSU campus.
“Having been involved in stadium projects in previous positions at Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas, I have seen the energy and excitement of a new or remodeled facility on-campus really galvanize people’s pride in their campus and their community,” Parker said. “We have a tremendous opportunity to make this an attraction that is positive for our university and our community, and to work together throughout the process.”
Colorado State’s stadium website (www.stadium.colostate.edu) contains many more resources to inform the public about the stadium, including the latest renderings of the design, and a map of the stadium’s location. The site also contains answers to frequently asked questions and details on the funding source for the new stadium.
The stadium is financed by investors and donors and does not rely on any funding from tuition or state funding. Bond payments will be made from stadium revenues and private donations. Bonds for the new stadium sold in less than 90 minutes on March 19, and certain series of bonds within the package were as much as three times oversubscribed. The total bond package delivered a true interest rate of 3.57 percent.
The stadium website also contains a “Stadium Voices” section with videos featuring the perspectives of prominent figures from CSU Athletics, the University and the Fort Collins community.
