Texas Higher Education Board approves new UNT football stadium plan

by Carolyn Brown of North Texas Daily

UNT’s long-awaited football stadium will be able to become a reality next month.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved plans for the stadium Thursday during its quarterly meeting, removing the last official obstacle for its construction.

“We’re very pleased,” said Andrew Harris, vice chancellor for finance. “This represents the culmination of a long planning process that many people have been involved in.”

A groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Nov. 21 around the UNT-Army game, and the stadium is scheduled to open for the 2011 season, according to an Oct. 29 UNT press release.

The board’s Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy reviewed the university’s plans last month and recommended that they be approved, Harris said.

“The really heavy lifting of planning the stadium is done,” he said. “There’s going to be some hard work ahead to actually build it.”

The stadium will cost $78 million to build and will be paid for by several different means, according to the press release.

Funding for its construction and operation will come from several sources including private donations, corporate sponsorships, club and suite sales, facility naming rights, and student athletics fees.

The stadium will be built adjacent to the athletics center, and will include seating capacity for about 30,000 with future expansion capabilities for as many as 50,000 seats. The stadium will include press boxes, a club lounge, suites, food service, retail facilities and locker rooms, and will be LEED certified as well.

In addition to football games, the new stadium will also serve as a venue for outdoor concerts, community events, high school games, and band competitions in North Texas, according to the press release.

Students had mixed opinions on the upcoming stadium.

Patrick Manning, a kinesiology senior, said he didn’t believe the stadium would help bring better recruits to the football team.

“A lot of people feel that if they have a new stadium it will bring in better recruits,” he said. “But they have to understand that there are bigger schools in Texas that recruit better athletes.”

Josh Dunmire, a finance senior, said he thought the stadium could help enhance his degree after he graduates.

“Anything that makes my degree appreciate in the eyes of people is good,” he said. “If it were to push our football team to be better, I like it.”

Angela Houters, an undeclared freshman, said that she was concerned about the possible environmental impact of the project.

“I think it would probably be more environmentally friendly to just stick with our stadium for a little bit longer and maybe re-vamp it a little bit,” she said.