1992: Stadium fix-up costs throw WSU football hopes for loss

Supporters of a movement to resurrect Wichita State’s football program have received a jolt. Perhaps a $24 million jolt.

Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum Inc., an architectural group in Kansas City, Mo., hired by WSU to examine athletic facilities, has estimated that renovating Cessna Stadium to comply with Division I-A standards could cost as much as $24 million. That is millions more than WSU athletic director Gary Hunter and supporters of football anticipated.

“I was surprised at how high the figures are,” Hunter said. “I’m shocked to find out that we’re very close to being out of code.”

The architects estimated that the low end cost of renovation is $9.5 million, but only if the government could be persuaded to waive the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires compliance with codes and standards regarding accessibility for the disabled.

If WSU were required to comply with the act, extensive demolition and reconstruction would be necessary to make the stadium more accessible and could more than double the cost of the project.

The law was enacted in 1990. Cessna Stadium does not have to meet those guidelines unless major renovations are done to the facility.

Hunter said the report has been given to WSU’s presidential task force for athletics and to the board of the university’s Intercollegiate Athletics Association for review.

Don Stephan, a Wichita advertising executive is a member of the task force and a football supporter. He said the high cost of renovation could spell the end of the football movement. Football was dropped after the 1986 season.

“This isn’t good news,” Stephan said. “I had no idea the cost would be that high. I would hope they get a second opinion, but I don’t know what it costs to do something like that.”

The architectural firm’s report on Cessna Stadium is just part one of a series. Another report, which will deal partly with Levitt Arena renovation costs, is due within a few weeks. It will include potential costs for new locker rooms, academic support areas, offices and meeting rooms, a speed and strength center, an indoor practice facility, student-athlete housing and the fourth phase of expansion at Eck Stadium, WSU’s baseball facility.

The presidential task force has deemed those projects a priority for the athletic department. Hunter said he expects costs for those projects to approach or exceed $10 million.

Hunter was not ready Monday to say that any hopes to revive WSU football are dashed. He did not, however, express optimism.

“We’ll ask our football sub-committee as well as the ICAA board to give us some guidelines as to whether or not they feel football is economically feasible,” he said.

Cessna Stadium, built in 1940 as Veterans Field and renovated in 1968 to seat nearly 31,000, has been used sparingly since WSU dropped football. State high school championship football games are scheduled for the stadium Saturday. It also has been the site of the state high school track and field meet and of the city’s annual July 4 fireworks celebration.

The report said that if maintenance and repairs are deferred much longer, the stadium will no longer be safe for any use.

WSU played its last football game there in November 1986. The program was dropped following the 1986 season because of mounting financial problems and widespread apathy in the community.

Such high costs for renovation bring about a question: How much would it cost for a new structure?

Rick Martin, a Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum vice president who is in charge of the study, said a general rule of thumb is that a new stadium costs about $1,000 per seat. That would mean $30 million for a 30,000-seat stadium, the minimum requirement for Division I-A football.

Stephan said he wants to hear Hunter’s opinion before making his own decision whether to continue to pursue the return of football.

“I’m not giving up on it, though this definitely changes the outlook,” he said. “It would be difficult for us to walk into a meeting knowing that renovating the stadium could run into $24 million and recommend that we bring football back.

’’From here, I think we’re going to have to see what Gary Hunter has to say. If he thinks it’s still feasible, then we’ll hopefully be able to bring football back. If he feels that it’s out of reach, then I’ll just drop it.”

Another proponent of football, task force member Dan Foley, said the cost of renovation is a setback, but not necessarily a death knell.

“When I first saw the report, I thought to myself, ‘Well, there goes the program,’ or, ‘There goes our campaign to try and get football back,’ ” he said. “But I’m not giving up. Hopefully, there might be some alternatives that come up.”

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 12:43 PM with the headline "1992: Stadium fix-up costs throw WSU football hopes for loss."