Priorities exist for more facility upgrades for UW athletics

“It is a world-class, unbelievable facility,” UW Athletic Director Tom Burman said. “I can’t (wait) to have total control over it.”

But what’s next in terms of upgrades or new facilities? Burman said there are needs and priorities, but as of now, plans are more long term.

Burman said the top priority is an aquatic center for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. UW’s Corbett Pool is old and outdated, and both the men’s and women’s squads often compete and practice at the Laramie Recreation Center or the new pool at Laramie High School.

Aquatic centers cost tens-of-millions of dollars to build.

“They are very expensive and very difficult to raise dollars for,” Burman said. “Will it get done in the near future? I don’t know. It is going to take significant state funding and that’s very difficult to secure in today’s world.

“Could we raise some money for it? Yes, but raising a lot of money for an aquatic center is very difficult. Schools generally fund them through student recreation programs and share it. We’re not in a position to do that.”

WMS upgrades

If 1A is an aquatic center, Burman said 1B is what he called the “westside stadium project” to War Memorial Stadium. That would include the renovation to the lower west side to replace, in Burman’s words, “extremely outdated restroom and concession areas.”

“It is not up to par with any Division I college venue in the country. It has some substantial issues,” Burman added.

Another aspect of the project is to upgrade the seating in the lower section. Other than those fans who pay extra for premium seating, there is nothing there and in the entire stadium in terms of chair-back or back-rest seating.

“This is becoming an expectation and a need for all fan bases, but as our fan base ages, we need to find a way to provide it,” Burman said. “To do that, we’re going to have to tear that whole thing out and rebuild it.”

A problem with the current bench seating is each seat is only 16 inches wide. Burman said with large crowds, UW can’t get everyone in a row because there isn’t enough room.

“People get bumped off,” Burman said. “A lot of people buy three or four tickets and bring only two people.”

Another part of the west side project is an updated press box.

“We have one of the worst in the Mountain West,” Burman said. “We are way behind there, and there’s an image issue as our football program has grown in recent years.

“We’ve hosted a Mountain West championship game (in 2016) and hosted some big-name schools. As we get national media to come to Laramie, we’re not selling a positive story about the University of Wyoming and the state of Wyoming.

“The windows are outdated. There is only one restroom on each side. There is a slow elevator. It is not up to standard, and we need to address it.”

Burman also said giving the stadium’s two south entrances a more modern feel would be part of the project.

However, none of the aspects of this project are cheap.

“If you’re talking about doing it right, it would be in the neighborhood of $50 to $60 million,” Burman said. “It would require private money, some debt, some state money and major maintenance dollars (from UW). We must have a very comprehensive, thoughtful approach of how we do it without getting ourselves in a financial situation that we can’t get out of.”

Burman said there have been some talks with donors about the project. He also said there was discussion in the last legislative session for matching funds from the state, but it didn’t pass.

“We will keep pushing it, but there also is no time frame,” he said. “This is not something that can be done exclusively on the backs of private donations, or exclusively on the backs of the state. It will have to be a thoughtful procedure.”

A new stadium?

War Memorial Stadium was dedicated in 1950. The upper levels of the stadium were constructed in the 1970s. Since then, UW put in the Wildcatter Stadium Club & Suites, which opened in 2010.

Improvements to the west side are needed, but what about a whole new stadium to replace the current one that is nearly 70 years old?

“I don’t really think it needs to be thought of if we continue to make the kind of investments we’ve made in recent years,” Burman said.

Colorado State opened its new stadium last year, which cost approximately $220 million. If UW has to be creative and patient on a $50 million to $60 million west side stadium project, building a new stadium in the current economic situation in the state seems unrealistic.

“Building a new stadium isn’t just about the financial burden,” Burman said. “It is how you go about it. Do you implode the stadium and build another one in the parking lot and flip flop that? It’s complicated.

“But the idea of getting into debt like some schools — like Colorado State — is scary. It can unravel on you quickly. You can’t always have really good revenue streams when you’re in this business because a couple of bad years and your revenue streams start to diminish. The debt service doesn’t diminish, and that burden falls (on the) institution.”

Changes for 2018

Burman said UW has a plan in place to improve digital connectivity in the stadium.

“We are working right now with some consultants, and hopefully we will have a plan in place this fall,” Burman said. “Today’s fan comes to a game and expects to be engaged through their phone or device. If they cannot access those tools, their experience is less, especially for young people. I think they will see progress there this fall.”

Burman also said UW is looking at ways to make the plaza area between the HAPC and Arena-Auditorium “as efficient and comfortable for our fans as possible.”

UW enters its second year of beer and wine sales in the stadium and Arena-Auditorium. Burman said his department budgeted low in terms of sales the first year, and they turned out to be less than expected. The good news was operational costs met expectations.

Burman said alcohol sales were better during the early part of football season, but as the season progressed and the weather got worse, sales decreased. Burman also said sales for men’s and women’s basketball games “were very slow.”

“There were smaller crowds in terms of the head count, but a different culture of people go to basketball games,” Burman said. “To be there for two-and-a-half hours and driving home, often at night, is not a good opportunity to drink beer and to be safe.”

Burman said there are no new revenue streams UW will implement this year.

“We just have to do a better job with the ones we have,” he said. “We have to figure out how to get more butts in seats, and all the trends are going the right way (for football), and they were great last year.”

Burman is pleased with the progress and improvements made in terms of facilities and revenue streams within his department in recent years, but he said something else has been established that can’t be measured with a dollar figure.

“We are gaining trust among the fans,” he said. “When they come to a Wyoming football game, they get a good game day experience. That doesn’t mean the Cowboys will win every Saturday, but there is a trust level within the program. From an AD’s perspective, that’s the best situation you can get.”