Facilities and financial update from Jamie Pollard

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

06_CY

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
4,815
1,812
113
I am not saying it should be free, but we are quickly reaching the point that unless you are a season ticket holder that donates to the university, there will not be parking available close to the stadium, unless its street parking to the West, which tends to fill up very quickly.

There is plenty of parking at the West Towers, and at Ames MS, the university should be running shuttles to get people that want to park out west, to jump on and get to the game. Charge them $20.00 bucks a vehicle and it should easily cover the costs of drivers and buses to transport them to JTS.

For $20 a vehicle, you can park in the GA grass spots G2-G5, G8, and G9; none of that is donor parking. GA passes go on sale the week of the game. I don't know how much Haunted Forest is, but that is available to pay and park, as is another private grass lot east on S 4th (I believe). There is also free parking off campus not terribly far away.

The issue with running shuttles is the traffic close to game time. How long would it take for one shuttle to go from Towers to JT to drop off in traffic one hour before the game?

I get what you are saying, but I think the alternatives are already built in. When considering who can park where, I believe the emphasis should be providing the better product/service to those that actually pay for it (donors/season ticket holders). Also, comparing to other P5 schools, there is more GA parking closer to the stadium than most.
 

tplumm

Active Member
Mar 3, 2010
189
117
43
Ankeny
so basically perm tailgating tents that corpos have as a meeting place/ state fair tent?
I suspect the plan is to bring in some businesses that generate daily, M-F employee and customer traffic during traditional business hours. Then the ISU events create the nights and weekend traffic to ensure the small retail and restaurants that will occupy the area have regular, consistent traffic most every day of the week, even in the summer when the university generates less students and non-students traffic within Ames
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Dr.bannedman

cysmiley

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jun 30, 2012
1,764
1,637
113
Read on Cyclone club site seasons are $599 for donor seats and $999 for Sukup seats. Non donor 399 and 275 (upper corners and south endzone (non-sukup). it said 2022 but don't know if official. Also march 31 2022 is cutoff date.
 
Last edited:

SEIOWA CLONE

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2018
6,463
6,650
113
62
For $20 a vehicle, you can park in the GA grass spots G2-G5, G8, and G9; none of that is donor parking. GA passes go on sale the week of the game. I don't know how much Haunted Forest is, but that is available to pay and park, as is another private grass lot east on S 4th (I believe). There is also free parking off campus not terribly far away.

The issue with running shuttles is the traffic close to game time. How long would it take for one shuttle to go from Towers to JT to drop off in traffic one hour before the game?

I get what you are saying, but I think the alternatives are already built in. When considering who can park where, I believe the emphasis should be providing the better product/service to those that actually pay for it (donors/season ticket holders). Also, comparing to other P5 schools, there is more GA parking closer to the stadium than most.

Did you also notice how fast those GA parking filled up on a weekly basis? They sold out in a matter of hours, did not bother me one way or another, but if you want to try in new fans, then you have to give them some place to park reasonably close to the stadium. I am not talking about the hard-core fans, but that guy with a family that thinks, "lets run up to an ISU game and see what all the fuss is about." Or the person that attends a game or two, these types of people are the future if you want to grow the fan base. If parking is not easy to get too, then they will stay at home and watch on TV.

At both Baylor and TCU the trip from where they parked us to the stadium was not any further than the MS to the stadiums, after the game we stood in line 15 to 20 minutes at most. Multiple shuttles, well-marked in both places. If they can do it, then ISU can also.
 

Lewey24

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Apr 2, 2020
477
1,075
93
Dubuque, IA
So who is the target users of this new bar/ entertainment district? will home games (football and bball) pay the bills?

college kids who majority leave in the summer or are not 21? *its very out of the way of walking from welch... i remember the bars were a ghost town in the summer*

Ames city people? *they have main st*

I just don't see how a city of 66k is going to sustain this
Yes, college kids are known for waiting until they’re actually 21 to go to bars.
 

JP4CY

I'm Mike Jones
Staff member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Dec 19, 2008
64,018
77,112
113
Testifying
Yes, college kids are known for waiting until they’re actually 21 to go to bars.
anigif_sub-buzz-1339-1571269006-1.gif
 

besserheimerphat

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
10,278
12,517
113
Mount Vernon, WA
Will conventions go the way of on site office work?
IMO, no. My experience has been that the people who attend conferences like to do that. It's another way to get out and see the world, a chance to rub elbows or reconnect, an excuse to spend a few days eating on the company's dime. Even with more people working from home, I see a place for conferences/conventions in the future.
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
61,414
55,962
113
Not exactly sure.
IMO, no. My experience has been that the people who attend conferences like to do that. It's another way to get out and see the world, a chance to rub elbows or reconnect, an excuse to spend a few days eating on the company's dime. Even with more people working from home, I see a place for conferences/conventions in the future.
Get drunk, hit the shakers without the wife knowing. Conventions have their reasons.
 

cytor

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Nov 20, 2011
5,937
8,979
113
Maybe I'm wrong, but I always felt ISU has done a poor job of being proactive in soliciting donations. I feel they could be much more aggressive in convincing people to donate. It would pay off too.
 

Mr.G.Spot

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Apr 22, 2020
4,576
465
113
59
I understand why JP is driving this project as the need for revenue to support P5 needs is staggering & ISU donors have proven that their pockets are not as deep as our southern brethren. But I have spent time in commercial, residential and industrial development and “studies”, surveys, consultants and projections give me headaches. A project like this is the classic “we don’t know what we don’t know” as far as expected demand. We do know that game days in the fall & winter will be fantastic, the other 300 days are unknown. Conventions are mentioned as a driver. Will conventions go the way of on site office work? The ownership of commercial office rental space is not an asset I would want to hold long term. The convention model is another industry with a not so glamorous future. I hope this project works for JP & brings money into the Ath Dept. but it looks shaky to me.
It all depends on who the tenants are. Imo, it won't be your normal retail tenants, think healthcare and offices on top of normal retail.
 

Mr.G.Spot

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Apr 22, 2020
4,576
465
113
59
Good point. Looks like there are 5,000 to 6,000 donations at the levels they gave. Which means only 85% of those attending the football games (excluding students) are not donors at those levels.
That is the issue.

Season tickets should equal some donation of some amount.
 

ricochet

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2008
1,746
1,138
113
It all depends on who the tenants are. Imo, it won't be your normal retail tenants, think healthcare and offices on top of normal retail.

Somebody else mentioned healthcare too. What makes you say that, because I'm not seeing it? I'm thinking mainly food and entertainment with some shopping and apartments/condos. For anything going in there I think it is important to get some business from people staying in the hotel.
 

Mr.G.Spot

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Apr 22, 2020
4,576
465
113
59
Somebody else mentioned healthcare too. What makes you say that, because I'm not seeing it? I'm thinking mainly food and entertainment with some shopping and apartments/condos. For anything going in there I think it is important to get some business from people staying in the hotel.
Who are the larger employers in small towns 30,000 to 100,000 people)? Do they ever shrink there employee base? Yes, I have had some very 10,000 feet level conversations.
 

Tailg8er

Well-Known Member
Feb 25, 2011
7,222
3,908
113
37
Johnston
Did you also notice how fast those GA parking filled up on a weekly basis? They sold out in a matter of hours, did not bother me one way or another, but if you want to try in new fans, then you have to give them some place to park reasonably close to the stadium. I am not talking about the hard-core fans, but that guy with a family that thinks, "lets run up to an ISU game and see what all the fuss is about." Or the person that attends a game or two, these types of people are the future if you want to grow the fan base. If parking is not easy to get too, then they will stay at home and watch on TV.

At both Baylor and TCU the trip from where they parked us to the stadium was not any further than the MS to the stadiums, after the game we stood in line 15 to 20 minutes at most. Multiple shuttles, well-marked in both places. If they can do it, then ISU can also.

They only sold out in hours for the top 2-3 games of the season. And for every game sans Iowa, those same passes were available for sale for at or near that original $20 amount later in the week 2nd hand, so there was still plenty of parking available for casual fans who wanted it (I both bought & sold a few for a couple games throughout the season).

I'm not sure of the layout from parking to stadium for Baylor or TCU, but still seems like traffic could hold up shuttles quite a bit in Ames - especially if the MS is your selected parking location. Mortensen will be slow, and Lincoln Way isn't a good option with all the lights/traffic it gets, either. If you're having shuttle riders get picked up anywhere near the stadium, they would almost need their own designated/blocked off roads otherwise they'd be sitting in exiting parking lot traffic for a long time. I agree that arrival shuttles would work fine, it's the exiting I'd be concerned with.

Just looking at the Baylor/TCU stadiums on google maps, it looks like they don't have near the parking directly around the stadium, so I'm sure that would make running shuttles much easier.
 

Cycsk

Year-round tailgater
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Aug 17, 2009
26,965
14,898
113
What do you RV tailgaters think about the new "RV Village?" Designated spots and utilities are nice. Having a dedicated walking bridge to the stadium is cool. However, it feels a bit like giving up the "getting together with friends in Ames" vibe for "getting together with Grandpa and Grandma in Arizona."
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Gunnerclone

cycloner29

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2008
11,422
10,445
113
Ames
Maybe I'm wrong, but I always felt ISU has done a poor job of being proactive in soliciting donations. I feel they could be much more aggressive in convincing people to donate. It would pay off too.

I don't know about you, but I started getting calls on donating about 6 months out of college and I had loans to pay back. Seems to me that was pretty aggressive. I did graduate back in 1990 also.