Plans for the new Colorado Springs arena-convention center were confirmed
at a meeting at the Broadmoor Wednesday. The key groups participating in
this project are the El Pomar Foundation, Broadmoor, Gates Land Co. and
Canadian investors. Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum will be in charge of
the design of the new facility. Their resume includes places like
Baltimore's Camden Yards, Denver's Coors Field and Miami's Joe Robbie
Stadium. One of their main goals is to preserve the legacy and the "ghosts"
of the Broadmoor in the new building.
Another article in Thurs. GT describes the impact of this decision
for CC.
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Don Lucia gives the impression Colorado College's hockey team would
play home games in a broom closet during the 1994-95 season - as long as
there's a real rink in which to play the next year.
Lucia's Tigers will temporarily be homeless when the Broadmoor
demolishes the World Arena at the end of the 1993-94 season. If local
orgainizers' plans are approved, Colorado Springs' new multi-use facility
should be ready for the 1995-96 season.
"When you know it's temporary, you can work with it," said Lucia,
CC's new coach. "You can work around the dates. I don't think it'll be
much of a problem to get our schedule completed."
Lucia said the positives of the planned new complex and practice
ice rinks - announced at a Broadmoor World Arena news conference Wednesday -
far outweigh the temporary negatives.
"This certainly helps, faving a facility built," he said, referring
to an ongoing internal review of the academic and athletic programs at CC
that will determine the future of those programs. "This will generate
more support, more fan interest. It will help the program pay for itself.
"We want to bring the program up to break-even, or a make-money
proposition. It would be nice to do more than break even. Then we could
spread the money around other programs in the athletic department."
The new complex may include a 3,500-seat practice rink, which could
be completed before the main project is finished. But that plan remains a
question.
"I told Max (Taylor, CC's athletic director) we're probably going
to need another 30 days (to decide)," said Peter Susemihl, chairman of the
arena committee. He said that decision would be partially contingent on
the availability of convention space within the project.
Taylor said if the practice rink isn't available, he'll be a busy
man.
"In that case, I would really have to get on the ball to find a
place to play," Taylor said. "That would leave us with very few choices,
obviously. I would hope Pa Sertich (the 2,000-seat, city-owned rink in
Memorial Park) would have some open dates. Air Force has been super in the
past to help us on occasion, but I wouldn't know what the availability
would be until I talked to Ken Schweitzer (AFA's athletic director).
"I've been talking with the WCHA to alert them about the uncertainty,
anticipating they will be very flexible."
WCHA comissioner Otto Breitenbach said the conference will do whatever
it takes.
"The league is tremendously pleased with the prospect of a new arena,"
Breitenbach said.
"We will show plenty of patience in that respect. I know all our
teams will cooperate in that effort. That's understandable. But what the
heck - they're one of us, and that's the important thing."
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I'm glad that they've finally gotten the money and plans confirmed for this
new place. It'll be one less thing that CC has to worry about.
Karen
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~ Karen Heasley ~ "Someday, you're going to be ~
~ Colorado College '95 ~ wrong, and I just hope I'm ~
~ Colorado Springs, CO ~ there to see it." ~
~ [log in to unmask] ~ - Princess Leia ~
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