FAU's effort to build an on-campus stadium appeared to be gaining ground before suffering another setback.
Work in progress
The effort to bring on an on-campus football stadium made progress over the last 12 months but met more delays and is still yet to receive final approval so construction can begin. The progress – or lack there of – is our No. 5 Story of the Year.
Originally published on
7/6/2010
by
Marcus Nelson
Last summer, FAU’s effort to build on-campus stadium was inching toward board approval with the only question being if the upcoming season would be the final one at Lockhart Stadium.
Sound familiar?
FAU isn’t too much further along than it was last summer when the 2010 season was still being discussed as the possible opening of the new on-campus football stadium. Now it’s the 2011 season that is hanging in the balance.
The delay in the approval of the stadium is our No. 5 Story of the Year.
There has been some movement, however. Last June, the FAU Board of Trustees did OK a deal with Crocker Partners to use a student housing component to begin funding for the stadium and also approved an Intent to Negotiate procedure to borrow more than $60 million from Regions Bank so construction can begin.
Away from the board room, land was actually cleared so construction can begin immediately upon approval – the biggest tangible evidence that the project is not stuck in a cycle that will never see completion.
However, FAU still has yet to give final approval for the funding and any additional delays that would cause FAU to miss a key vote by the Florida Board of Governors will put the oft-delayed 2011 opening date in jeopardy.
What we wrote
Why it’s important
The FAU stadium effort, alive since Howard Schnellenberger arrived on campus in 1998, has been delayed so many times it hardly registers any uproar any more.
However, the stadium has never been closer to becoming a reality so another delay would be a crippling blow to the program and its exasperated and frustrated fan base.