Colorado State University President Tony Frank will get more time to study four potential paths forward regarding CSU鈥檚 stadium. In return, he鈥檒l create community and campus leadership committees, create a web site to gather more feedback from the public, and compare and contrast the options.
鈥淲e鈥檒l assemble a document 鈥� think sort of the blue book that comes to voters before elections. [It] compares the options and tries in an objective way to list [an] apples to apples comparison,鈥� he said.
CSU's Board of Governors approved the plan to give Frank more time to study the options. In his remarks, Frank outlined four potential paths forward. Those include rebidding the new stadium as a public-private partnership; building the new stadium in phases; paying to modernize the existing stadium; or keeping the old stadium as is with basic upkeep.
Frank has stated 鈥済reat concern鈥� about keeping the existing stadium, citing donor disinterest in paying for maintenance costs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not as simple as saying we failed to raise the funds鈥� therefore let鈥檚 get busy and fix up Hughes. There鈥檚 a $30 million bill associated with that,鈥� said Frank, referring to needed repairs to the existing off-campus Hughes Stadium.
Fundraising for the new stadium has been lackluster. Frank reported that CSU had raised about $50 million toward a goal of $110 million needed to break ground. CSU鈥檚 Board of Governors to raise money from private donors before breaking ground on a new stadium.
Public comment at the meeting was largely opposed to the idea of a new on-campus stadium.
鈥淚鈥檓 worried about falling attendance and how you pay the bills without butts in the seats,鈥� said Tom Linnell, who affiliated himself with the group SOS Hughes, which is opposed to the on-campus stadium.
Jean Yule, a CSU alum and Fort Collins native, said CSU has been dismissive of public opinion against the new on-campus stadium, citing 60 percent of respondents polled by Triton .
鈥淲e need to reverse this colossal failure and heal our tattered university relationship. It鈥檚 time to get real and work with what we have making it even better,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ughes with its ideal location has so much to offer that鈥檚 unique. Let us embrace it and renew it.鈥�
Frank said after studying the options, he will make a recommendation to CSU鈥檚 Board of Governors in advance of the December meeting.
鈥淚 would suggest at that point in time, it鈥檚 appropriate for us to make a decision on this process,鈥� he said.
