KU accepting design proposals for project that includes ‘upgrade’ to football stadium
The University of Kansas, Kansas Athletics Incorporated and KU Endowment are accepting proposals for concept and schematic design services from sports design consultants for an 11th & Mississippi Project that includes what the university calls “an upgraded home for Kansas football.”
The request for bids was put out by the university via a “bid opportunity detail” available online. The request for bids was issued on Aug. 23 at 8:52 a.m. Closing date for bids will be Sept 13 at 2 p.m.
The 11th and Mississippi Project, according to the bid opportunity detail form includes:
“1. A multi-purpose year-round venue which may incorporate conference or entertainment capabilities, retail, dining, health care services, or other facilities that support economic development and the University’s academic mission.
2. A new gateway to campus.
3. An upgraded home for Kansas Football.”
KU plays its home games at Booth Memorial Stadium.
Asked for comment, KU athletic director Travis Goff in a text message directed The Star to KU’s “request for qualifications document” indicating the document “articulates our vision for the project” in the “narrative portion of that document.”
It was his only comment on the matter.
Goff has spoken about his desire for a renovated Booth Memorial Stadium. At Big 12 football Media Days in July he said it’s long past time to renovate or build a new KU football stadium.
Goff has been speaking with donors concerning financial support for the renovation of the stadium.
“We’re significantly ahead of where I thought we’d be a year ago in terms of where we are today,” Goff said at Media Day. “So I’m excited about that.
“For me, 14 months in, we are progressing on exactly the track we should be,” Goff added, “which means being really thoughtful, exploring multiple options, making sure we’ve got key partners involved in those discussions and making sure an entire institution can get behind what that investment is going to need to look like, that it’s not a short-sighted deal.
“We’re not going to rush to an announcement just to say we’re doing something. It’s something that has a 25-plus year trajectory and impact to it. So that’s that’s the immediate path we’re on.”
He said he was “excited” for Texas Tech in a recent announcement of plans for a $200 million renovation to its stadium. The requests for bids seems to indicate KU’s Goff continues to make progress on KU’s stadium renovation matter.
“It’s another reminder that you can’t sit idle,” Goff said at Media Day referring to Tech renovation. “We know what that will look like if you don’t do what you have to do at your place and you don’t move the needle day to day for the student-athletes with your football program. You’re going to step backward if you don’t do something that makes a statement within your own league.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 7:51 PM with the headline "KU accepting design proposals for project that includes ‘upgrade’ to football stadium."
