CU-Boulder officials unveil $170 million athletic facilities upgrade proposal
Feb 21st
University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano, Athletic Director Mike Bohn and new head football coach Mike MacIntyre today unveiled a $170 million, multi-year proposal to upgrade CU-Boulder’s football facilities before the Intercollegiate Athletics subcommittee of the CU Board of Regents at the board’s monthly meeting in Colorado Springs.
CU will rely on $50 million in private support to execute the project, and a significant effort to raise funds from donors will now begin to support it. In addition, other athletic revenue sources will be used to finance this major initiative.
“This plan represents a carefully conceived, strategic investment in our future in the Pac-12 Conference,” said Bohn. “It will position us to attract the best student-athletes in the nation. It will improve the performance of our student-athletes on the field and in the classroom, and it will enhance our fan experience.”
The first element will consist of a new academic center that will boost student-athletes’ already substantial progress in the classroom. The new facility will provide focus for student-athletes by moving study areas to a new complex beneath the east stands, away from the distractions of the Dal Ward Athletic Center. Additionally, as part of the project’s first element, the north side of Folsom Field’s east stands will be supported against the shifting ground beneath it, improving safety for fans and visitors.
The second element will significantly expand Dal Ward to consolidate football operations, bring coaches and student-athletes from a number of sports together, and provide more physical resources for all in one unified space.
The third element of the plan establishes a permanent indoor practice facility adjacent to outdoor practice fields north of Boulder Creek, creating a year-round practice complex, easing traffic congestion off of Arapahoe Avenue with new streets and transportation enhancements, and forming a new plaza-like entrance to campus from the north.
The plan also includes a study to redevelop family housing that now sits west of Folsom Street and south of Arapahoe. The university has for several years been re-envisioning the possibilities of a more modern family housing complex with greater appeal for residents and greater density to make more efficient use of space.
The final element of the football athletics redevelopment project includes redevelopment of the Folsom Field west-side stands.
Future enhancements not included in the initial cost estimate are planned at the Coors Events Center to further improve the student-athlete and fan experience there.
DiStefano heralded the plan, saying it “balances equally our commitment to the academic success of our student-athletes, the comfort and safety of our fans and the long-term success of our combined coaching staffs.”
“This affirms our institutional values, and positions us well as we move ahead in the finest conference in the country,” DiStefano added.
CU President Bruce Benson said the project marks a bold new era of partnership with donors, alumni, fans and stakeholders.
“Intercollegiate athletics is the front porch of the university,” said Benson. “This plan will help bring people from across Colorado and around the country together in support of CU, and it will challenge all of us as donors, alumni and fans to work together to make this vision a reality.”
MacIntyre said the support from every level of the university – from fans and donors to the athletic director, the chancellor and the president – was gratifying to him and to CU’s other coaches and players.
“This is a strong commitment to success by the president, the chancellor and the university as a whole,” said MacIntyre. “These facilities will represent to our current and future players the dual commitments to excellence, and to be successful year-in and year-out, at the University of Colorado. The entire university community wants to sustain excellence in everything we do, and at the same time, keep moving forward. This commitment represents both of these desires.”
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Tree removals require lane closures Feb. 25 through March 10
Feb 20th
On Monday, Feb. 25, there will be intermittent closures of Balsam Avenue between 14th and 15th streets from noon to 3:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, there will be intermittent closures of Norwood Avenue between 21st Street and Norwood Court from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Also on Feb. 27, the outside lane of northbound Broadway, north of Norwood Avenue, will be closed from noon to 3:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Feb. 28 and Friday, March 1, the southbound lane of Airport Road will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Southbound traffic will be directed into a center lane.
On Monday, March 4, the southbound and right turn lane of Spine Road will be closed north of Lookout Road from 8:30 to 11 a.m. All southbound and turning traffic will be directed through the left turn lane. Also on March 4, there will be intermittent closures of Merritt Drive from Ingersoll Place to Holmes Place between noon and 3:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, March 5, there will be intermittent closures of 55th Street between Blackhawk Road and Tenino Avenue from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Also on March 5, the outside westbound lane of South Boulder Road will be closed from noon to 3 p.m. west of Manhattan Drive.
On Sunday, March 10, the westbound lane of Valmont Road between 28th Street and 30th Street will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In addition to these tree removals requiring lane closures, contractors working for the Urban Forestry Division will remove two other large trees with significant cavities in their trunks and/or major branches. These include the following:
- A cottonwood tree at the Main Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., with a large trunk cavity.
- A silver maple tree at 1743 Mapleton Ave. with large cavities in its major branches
City park and neighborhood street trees are inspected annually for structural integrity and safety by the Urban Forestry Division using industry-set standards and techniques. For more information, contact the Urban Forestry office, 303-441-4406, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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Robert Reich Interview – Boulder Denver New Tech Meetup
Feb 20th
Jann Scott Interviews Boulder-Denver New Tech Meetup founder Robert Reich and we learn about Robert has created a great place for New Tech companies in Colorado to meet and share their ideas and become apart of the growing community of multimedia in the area and what it means to be a Start Up company and a Small Business.