It’s full-steam ahead on Phase One of the Ross-Ade Stadium renovations.
On Wednesday, the Purdue athletic department unveiled the long-awaited renderings of the $45.4 million project that will commence at the conclusion of the 2022 season. The renovation is expected to be completed in time for the 2023 season.
The project has three main components:
• Building a tunnel from the locker room in the Kozuch Football Performance Complex to the stadium
• Converting and expanding a Purdue Team Store located in the northeast corner of the Ross-Ade parking lot into a dining/nutrition center
• Overhauling the south end zone
“I think all the elements, the three primary elements of this phase of the renovation, are things that are all in their own way really important to us as an athletic department, as a football program and the overall program, particularly with the nutrition and dining facility,” Purdue A.D. Mike Bobinski said on Gold and Black LIVE on Friday.
It was hoped a dining/nutrition area would have been part of the Kozuch facility that opened in 2017.
“That's an element that we sorely lack at this point in time,” said Bobinski. “The ability to add that, to be able to serve the nutritional needs of all of our athletes, which has become an ever increasingly important element in college athletics.
"We've got a staff of really talented dieticians. We just don't have a place for them to really do their job as effectively as they're capable of. And this will really provide that in a really, really good way. So, I'm very excited about that element.”
The tunnel to be bored out in the northeast corner of the stadium will ease what has been a congested situation that could be dangerous for players. Bobinski pointed to Thursday night’s game vs. Penn State as an example of what has become an untenable situation.
“(Thursday night) to me was the absolute Exhibit A of why that is important,” said Bobinski. “Pregame, we had thousands of people pouring into the stadium, getting into the stadium, while our team is trying to navigate their way into the entrance down in the south part of the end zone. That's not good.
“And in postgame, people are pouring out of the stadium while our team is trying to make their way out of our little halftime room back up to the football performance center. That is a situation that is just ripe for problems. You lose an emotional game, it’s late at night, it's past midnight, thousands of people coming this way, a team trying to swim upstream.”
The tunnel will provide a safer, more efficient and impactful entrance and exit for the team.
The south end zone is the most visual of the renovations. The area has served as a party patio in recent years. The overhaul will see the south end zone serve as a primary seating area for students—as well as the band.
“Generationally, people like to experience games in different ways,” said Bobinski. “Particularly, the younger generation likes to have more social interaction during the course of a game. They're not as much wanting to sit in a specific seat staring straight ahead looking at the game. So, having some combination of traditional seating elements and some open, more gathering space-type areas, I think is something that is really responsive to the way people want to experience games these days. And we're excited about that.”
Bobinski says the students have rubber-stamped being moved from current areas that stretch from the northeast corner to the east side of the stands.
“We went to the students on this, we went to the band on it and they are all on board with sort of them owning that part of the stadium, sort of owning that end zone piece,” said Bobinski.
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Bobinski says the move also will remove some of the interaction between students and the general public that at times could be volatile.
“I think we'll eliminate some of the natural sort of--not conflict—but there's a little bit of where the students meet the public, there's that space where things don't always go great,” said Bobinski. "It's just a fact of life. I've been doing this for so long. I've seen it many, many places. I think having the students in their own area that's really their area and not as much sort of butting up against or in front of other patrons will be just a really good thing."
Positioning the students at one end of the stadium also could amp the environment.
“I think they'll actually be able to impact the game more significantly as they sort of project sound throughout the entire bowl as opposed to the way the way that it works right now.”
Once Phase One is complete, Purdue has its eyes on Phase Two.
“We're in the throes of actively identifying what we believe the right elements of Phase Two might be,” said Bobinski. "There are lots of things on the table right now.”
Updating the Ross-Ade Pavilion on the west side of the stadium is one item.
“Doing some work in there and taking care of those folks that have really invested in a premium experience,” said Bobinski. “We need to make sure we provide a premium environment for them.”
Adding some chair back seats in the stadium and bringing the north end zone seats closer to the field also could be earmarked.
“At the end of the day, it is all going to be a function of how much we believe we can raise and what the related costs are for those different elements and we'll figure it out as we move along,” said Bobinski.
“But we're going to actively pin down those elements that we think are most impactful, that reflect our ability to raise dollars here in that next one-three year-period so that when this phase is done, we're actively in the fundraising period and then ready to roll as soon as possible with Phase Two.”
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