Moody Renovations?

[ponyboy]

Anyone who's been out to campus lately has seen the absolute flurry of activity in and around Moody and Ford. Anybody got an update on when we'll start Moody renovations? Does the new Dedman Center include a practice court or two for the bball team?

IMO, this is vital.

[Hoop Fan]

I'm turning dark on this issue. Its to the point of failure now. There is no excuse for not getting something done with Moody. Not even an announcement, the plans were supposedly worked up years ago.

[abezontar]

Does anyone know if they have been able to raise any money to do the Moody renovations/expansion? I konw with the Dedmen Center they had plans drawn up for probably 10-15 years before they were finally able to get the money necessary to do the project. That only happened after the students were asked to pay for it because there wasn't anyone else who was willing to put up enough money for the project. Unless some big donor steps up and says he/she wants to see Moody improved it probably won't happen, that is unless it is included in the next capital campaign.

[DiamondM]

The Dedman Center expansion, unfortunately, will not help. The Athletic Department was not consulted on the plans, which were drawn up in response to a specific donation, so it does not have practice facilities (nor a rennovated Olympic sized pool or diving facilities, which would have been nice, but, again, the athletic department was not consulted on what it might have liked to be included in the plans).

I can tell you that there were plans drawn up a while ago for a full rennovation with a prohibitive price tag, but we have since asked the designer to come up with a separate but attached practice/office/locker room facility with a more obtainable budget. Those plans have been done, and have been shared with coaches and potential recruits. Not much can be "official" though until about half the money is raised, but there is progress, with several large donors. Once the big boys come through to raise enough to be assured that the little guys (or gals like me) will be able to make up the rest, then more specifics will be available.

Practical problems are involved in actually rennovating Moody -- concourses cannot be widened until offices are relocated. Floor cannot be torn up until Volleyball and 2 BBall teams have an alternate practice location. If anything is done at all, Moody loses its grandfather clause with respect to various codes, including ADA compliance, restroom capacity, fire codes. So either there had to be enough money to do it all at once, in one fell swoop, which turn out to be cost prohibitive, or we've got to do it piece by piece without triggering the rules regarding code compliance. That is the solution that is in the works now. Once practice courts and offices are taken care of, and only then, can demolition really begin.

[Hoop Fan]

first of all, thanks for your comments. I know you do not speak for the athletic department or the university, and you're not on the witness stand here. But I wonder what 'cost prohibitive' actually implies. Does that mean that we just couldn't raise the extra money needed, or not even the basic amount that we thought it would take? Are naming rights part of the equation for a renovated building? Was a brand new building with a new name/sponsor explored?

Also, why has it taken us so long to go to Plan B? Were we really that surprised that it would cost alot to completely renovate Moody? Seems we should have a explored a couple scenarios at the outset instead of sequential planning.

[Pony_Fan]

Mr. Hunt, please help us out! Hunt-Moody Colliseum....Frisco Park is nice, please continue SIR.

This has to be started soon or this program is going nowhere.

[Pony_Fan]

Also, what is in plans for University Gardens? Could that be a possible practice facility location. The campus is VERY different from just 5 years ago and it is crazy nothing can be done to Moody. There are huge new buildings all over campus that must have cost millions.

[k pony]

The new practice courts will be directly adjacent to Moody. The locker rooms will be there as well. A very exciting facility with huge potential for pregame meals and halftime functions. As DiamondM mentioned, money is being raised and construction could start as early as this fall with completion by next summer. Call Scott Secules to donate money.

[originaloverthehilltop1]

thanks for the good info diamondm. you are obvioulsly another one of those well informed, fashionable richardsonites.

[originaloverthehilltop1]

oops! i thot diamondm was richardsonite. oh well. no brownie points today.

[DiamondM]

FYI, I'm a mile east of White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum. I believe DiamondM75 may be a richardsonite -- but I had the name here first so let's just refer to him as 75.

Anyway, I am always a little wary of sharing too much info I have received "straight from the horse's mouth" for fear that I am breaching some confidence I have been entrusted with, but for the most part, if you just called up Copeland, or Secules, or Chris Walker, or someone to ask, you could probably get similar information, especially if you make your face known at events, which is how I have become well informed in the first place.

With respect to the previous designs, it is my understanding that there are some rules that at least 50% or so must be raised in order to get actual blue prints (as opposed to just design renderings), and then a high percentage committed to break ground. Generally you hope to get a few large donations to get you to the first threshhold, based on fund raising industry standard expectations, before you even start soliciting smaller donations. As I understand it, the original designs for a complete, total rennovation proved "cost prohibitive" because, despite efforts, not enough big donors would commit enough to take the project to the next step, so that is why we asked the designer to go back and come up with a solution that had a more modest price tag so that the big donors would more easily meet that first threshhold (I don't remember for sure, but I think this option, which eliminates the problems we have with the single floor for 3 teams, crappy lockerrooms, no separate training facilities or offices for basketball, was less than half as expensive than a full blown rennovation, and will allow future stages to happen.)

The new plans do indeed, like kpony said, put the practice/office/lockerroom/training facility behind, but attached to Moody with a tunnel. We'll lose some parking behind the tennis courts, but I think that will be regained once the frat houses are finished and the EX, SAE, LXA houses, and Letterman are gone.

[DiamondM75]

FYI, I'm a mile east of White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum. I believe DiamondM75 may be a richardsonite -- but I had the name here first so let's just refer to him as 75.

Sorry DiamondM, but I am not a richarsonite. I am real close, but actually my residence is Dallas, TX. And about the name, I didn't copy yours, when I first signed on to ponyfans, it asked me for a name and I just came up with DiamondM75. Even though you had the name DiamondM first, my nick is not a copy, but, we are too well acquainted to start that argument.

Thanks for your input on the renovations of Moody. I know you are close enough to "the powers that be" to state true facts. As for the Dedman expansion, this is a gift from the students of SMU. It is not an athletic facility and therefore the athletic department did not have any input. I think the facility did not include olympic size pools and diving facilities on purpose. They did not want the Dedman expansion to be used by the athletic department. It is a recreational facilty for the students, staff and alumni of SMU.