UAlbany Stadium: Project 2010

By: Dana A. Brown

ALBANY, N.Y., Dec 11, 2007 -A new multi- purpose stadium may be in the future for The University at Albany campus, home to the Great Danes intercollegiate sports program. The University elevated its football team to the NCAA Division 1 level in September 1999, and as a result they are looking to improving their facility to accommodate the school by 2010.

Aside from the Division change, Lee M. McElroy, Vice President and Athletic Director at the University said “ we have not upgraded facilities in 45 years. ” Both “ image and perception ” will help the recruiting process. Although this multi-purpose field will be located on the University campus, it will also serve many other athletics in the area and the community as a whole. According to McElroy this stadium will also host “ convocations, special events and NCAA playoffs. ”

Brian R. Depasquale, Assistant Athletic Director at the University, said the construction of this field would “ improve the Capital Region. ”

The current facility holds 5,000 seats, but the second phase of this project wiould allow the new stadium to hold anywhere between 10,000 to 15,000 seats. “ There is definitely an expanded interest in Albany sports and high school sports, especially sectional, regional and state tournaments. Albany ’ s attendance figures continue to rise in football, with a poor stadium for the spectator, ” said Depasquale. With the amount of expanded interest from the University there will be high prices to pay. If the proposed seating remains the same the stadium could reach the $32 million range.

A second phase adjacent to the stadium, “ with all the amenities, would bring the entire project up to the $60 million figure, ” Depasquale said. This phase would include a sports medicine complex, academic center, meeting rooms, offices and a fitness center.

Although the cost estimates for the project are in, Albany is still unsure as to whether these figures will make it into the 2008 budget. “ The budget scope is yet to be determined, ” said McElroy. If it does not make it into the budget, it may create concerns for residents having to pay any way. In the mean time, Albany has begun looking in other places.

Albany has set a target of $5 million to $8 million for private funding to help raise money for the construction. Along with Buffalo, Binghamton and Stony Brook, Albany has asked for “ as much state funding from the SUNY construction fund as possible, ” said Depasquale.

Christopher Bright, Albany freshman and fullback for the Great Danes agrees that the estimated price is a lot, but believes “ anything that ’ s nice cost a lot of money. ” Although he has not been with the team for very long he has had the chance to check out some other stadiums during the season. “ I ’ ve traveled to numerous football stadiums for away games and just about every college football field I ’ ve see is better than ours, including schools from lower divisions. ”

Richard Laskowski, the former Stony Brook athletic director, spent two years with his senator and created a member item to foot the bill for their new stadium. A separate bill for $22 million was created to fund the Kenneth P. LaValle stadium on their campus.

“ As Peter Bulger, an alumnus and donor, indicated in the current edition of The Business Review, many private donors are taking a wait-and-see approach to see what the state of New York is going to do.  We obviously are seeking out as many private contributions as we can., ” said Depasquale.

Local businesses around Stony Brook also had somewhat of a wait-and-see approach. “ Everyone wanted it, but they weren ’ t going to pay for it, ” said Laskowski. Instead, after the stadium was built, businesses bought signs, similar to those at pro stadiums.

Unlike these businesses who have the option to wait and buy signage, residents in the area do not have these options and must find another way to pay for something they have no control over.

There is no doubt that this project will have an affect on the residents in the surrounding area. The start date for the environmental impact study is approaching and will last about six months. This study will “ answer specific questions about the scope of the project and possible sites on campus. There's no question the business owners in the surrounding areas would be affected, ” Depasquale said.

After previously visiting the Albany campus, Laskowski does not believe there will be negative effects on the Albany residents because of the location of the stadium. The field will be placed where the current turf is located, about two blocks in from Western Avenue.

Stony Brook had to change the location of the original placement of the field because of resident concerns. “ They feared that there would be tremendous traffic and noise from the fans, ” : said Laskowski. Instead they put the stadium in the center of campus and made sure lights were off by 10 p.m. after night events.

McElroy does not see any negative impacts caused by the stadium, but instead “ the local and regional economy will be enhanced. ”

“ The plan to gradually improve the existing athletic facility complex was adopted in 2004, known as Project 2010. We constructed two artificial turf fields for lacrosse and field hockey in the first phase. The second phase of this long-range plan was always to build a multi-sport stadium, ” Depasquale said.

With the first portion of the project completed and successful, Albany is beginning to be recognized. The John Fallon lacrosse field is home to the men ’ s and women ’ s lacrosse teams and the first completed portion of Project 2010.

“ There are no stadiums of any size within two hours of Albany. After the lacrosse and field hockey fields were opened for play in the fall of 2006, there are now many high school and community groups using these fields on a regular basis, ” said Depasquale.

“ The possibility exists for sports like men ’ s and women ’ s soccer and men ’ s and women ’ s lacrosse to play in the stadium. The stadium will also be used for the Empire State Games and probably would also come into play during New York Giants training camp, ” said Depasquale.

With the renovation for the new multi-purpose field, the athletic department is looking for improvements.

“ We have already begun playing top notch D1 opponents and there are only more to come in the near future. The only thing a new stadium will do will increase the possibility of being able to have home games against these formidable opponents and more home games per season, ” Bright said. The improvements the athletic department receive will be more than just its sports teams, but with the surrounding community.

“ This is a community multi-sport stadium, not just a football stadium that would service many sports teams both collegiate and high school in the Capital Region. The stadium would also have other uses such as concerts, commencements and other events, said Depasquale.