Athletic Director Jack Graham argues that a new stadium on the campus will energize fans and students while helping the university build a more successful football program.
Populous has designed more than 80 projects for U.S. colleges and universities, including TCF Bank Stadium, an on-campus stadium completed in 2009 for the University of Minnesota.
TCF Bank Stadium is the first football stadium to achieve LEED Silver Certification. The firm also is designing a new on-campus stadium for Baylor University, CSU said in a statement.
A CSU spokesman said Populous will receive $139,000 for its work on the feasibility study. A separate consultant, ICON Venue Group, has been hired to help manage the siting, design and public input process. ICON is being paid $210,000 for its work on the feasibility study, the spokesman said. Both firms are being paid with private funds. The university has not disclosed the sources of those funds.
In conjunction with the hiring of Populous as an architectural consultant, CSU announced two public meetings next week to allow community members to ask questions and make comments about the proposed stadium concept.
The meetings – which will have an identical format and content – will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday in the Fum McGraw Athletic Center’s first-floor auditorium.
In March, CSU announced several potential stadium sites on campus. Additional information about the initial sites will be presented at next week’s public forums. Links to presentations on site selection and other stadium-related issues are available at www. colostate.edu/stadium.
Critics of the stadium proposal said the plan lacks a clearly articulated financial framework and worry about the impacts of traffic, parking and fans on the neighborhoods surrounding campus. They are bringing in an Ohio University professor for a lecture Friday to make the case that CSU is foolish to chase athletic success due to the potential consequences for academic integrity.
