JSUBENGAL
1877
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007702250384
February 25, 2007
For once, let's think before we pony up
OK, so I read where there's a push to spend $5.4 million of our taxpayer dollars to tear down Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, home of the Jackson State Tigers.
We will do this, in part, to make room for a research facility for University Medical Center. We will spend $25 million on the start-up there.
Then we will spend $66 million more in bond money to build a new home for the Jackson State Tigers a few miles to the west, near the Jackson State campus.
The new stadium would be roughly half as big as the old one.
Oh yes, and we just spent $15 million to renovate the old stadium, this after we spent $750,000 eight years ago on a study to decide whether we should renovate the old stadium or build a new one.
You couldn't make this stuff up. I went back through this newspaper's archives to make certain I remembered correctly the facts as they are.
Some of the same legislators who now avidly support the new stadium just a few years ago avidly supported renovating the old stadium.
They were either badly wrong then, or they are sadly wrong now.
If they were wrong back then, the lack of foresight is as astounding as it is costly.
The losers in all this?
You and me.
The taxpayers.
As usual.
ENTER, THE GRINCH
Please excuse me while I play Grinch.
Jackson State now plays in one of the biggest, finest stadiums in Division I-AA. It is about three miles from campus.
The proposed stadium would be across the street from the JSU campus. Apparently, some people think that JSU can acquire the land for, provide parking for and build a 40- to 50,000-seat stadium for $66 million.
Those people are either dreaming or smoking something that will be banned from the stadium.
The University of Connecticut opened a new, 44,000-seat stadium in 2003. The land was donated. The cost to build was $91.2 million. Construction costs have risen dramatically since then, especially post-Katrina.
Now then, excuse me as this Grinch turns sentimental. I love the history of Veterans Memorial Stadium, where Walter Payton once scored his touchdowns, where Archie Manning rolled to his left and right, where Alcorn and Mississippi Valley State drew the biggest crowd in Mississippi history, where Steve McNair did things I didn't think were possible, where Brett Favre started as a 17-year-old against Texas A&M, where State beat Bama and the Bear 6-3, where Sammy Winder dove eight yards into the end zone, where Joe Montana stood on the sidelines and watched Ole Miss beat his Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where every public school football player in Mississippi dreams of playing, and where the Sonic Boom has rocked the house year after year after year.
Just the history, alone, should count for something.
HERE WE GO AGAIN ...
Here's more history: I can remember years and years ago when good old Carl Walters wrote columns for this paper. Ole Miss and Mississippi State were lobbying hard for the expansion of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Walters wrote columns opposing the expansion, saying it wasn't worth the cost.
The facility's capacity was 46,000 then. The horseshoe expansion would take it above 60,000.
We need the seats, Ole Miss and State said. If you build it, we will play all our big games there.
Walters argued against it. He said 46,000 seats were plenty. I thought he was being an old fuddy-duddy, a Grinch.
Turns out, he was being wise.
We spent millions to expand the stadium and then, years later, Ole Miss and State expanded their own stadiums, left Jackson, and we had 16,000 more seats that would remain empty at least 364 days a year.
Did we learn anything from that?
Apparently not.
We just keep spending.
Millions upon millions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reach Rick Cleveland at [email protected]
February 25, 2007
For once, let's think before we pony up
OK, so I read where there's a push to spend $5.4 million of our taxpayer dollars to tear down Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, home of the Jackson State Tigers.
We will do this, in part, to make room for a research facility for University Medical Center. We will spend $25 million on the start-up there.
Then we will spend $66 million more in bond money to build a new home for the Jackson State Tigers a few miles to the west, near the Jackson State campus.
The new stadium would be roughly half as big as the old one.
Oh yes, and we just spent $15 million to renovate the old stadium, this after we spent $750,000 eight years ago on a study to decide whether we should renovate the old stadium or build a new one.
You couldn't make this stuff up. I went back through this newspaper's archives to make certain I remembered correctly the facts as they are.
Some of the same legislators who now avidly support the new stadium just a few years ago avidly supported renovating the old stadium.
They were either badly wrong then, or they are sadly wrong now.
If they were wrong back then, the lack of foresight is as astounding as it is costly.
The losers in all this?
You and me.
The taxpayers.
As usual.
ENTER, THE GRINCH
Please excuse me while I play Grinch.
Jackson State now plays in one of the biggest, finest stadiums in Division I-AA. It is about three miles from campus.
The proposed stadium would be across the street from the JSU campus. Apparently, some people think that JSU can acquire the land for, provide parking for and build a 40- to 50,000-seat stadium for $66 million.
Those people are either dreaming or smoking something that will be banned from the stadium.
The University of Connecticut opened a new, 44,000-seat stadium in 2003. The land was donated. The cost to build was $91.2 million. Construction costs have risen dramatically since then, especially post-Katrina.
Now then, excuse me as this Grinch turns sentimental. I love the history of Veterans Memorial Stadium, where Walter Payton once scored his touchdowns, where Archie Manning rolled to his left and right, where Alcorn and Mississippi Valley State drew the biggest crowd in Mississippi history, where Steve McNair did things I didn't think were possible, where Brett Favre started as a 17-year-old against Texas A&M, where State beat Bama and the Bear 6-3, where Sammy Winder dove eight yards into the end zone, where Joe Montana stood on the sidelines and watched Ole Miss beat his Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where every public school football player in Mississippi dreams of playing, and where the Sonic Boom has rocked the house year after year after year.
Just the history, alone, should count for something.
HERE WE GO AGAIN ...
Here's more history: I can remember years and years ago when good old Carl Walters wrote columns for this paper. Ole Miss and Mississippi State were lobbying hard for the expansion of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Walters wrote columns opposing the expansion, saying it wasn't worth the cost.
The facility's capacity was 46,000 then. The horseshoe expansion would take it above 60,000.
We need the seats, Ole Miss and State said. If you build it, we will play all our big games there.
Walters argued against it. He said 46,000 seats were plenty. I thought he was being an old fuddy-duddy, a Grinch.
Turns out, he was being wise.
We spent millions to expand the stadium and then, years later, Ole Miss and State expanded their own stadiums, left Jackson, and we had 16,000 more seats that would remain empty at least 364 days a year.
Did we learn anything from that?
Apparently not.
We just keep spending.
Millions upon millions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reach Rick Cleveland at [email protected]
Not arguing the cost of living because I'm fairly certain it'll be cheap. But, bldg materials are bldg regardless of physical location I thought.