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Post by sader1970 on Oct 10, 2016 12:45:05 GMT -5
No.
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Post by bigfan on Oct 10, 2016 13:13:13 GMT -5
I was hoping that we had seen the last of the high school bleachers. This is a big disappointment. We still have a high school gym.
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Post by CHC8485 on Oct 10, 2016 13:56:24 GMT -5
I really hate to be a cynic here but other than a fresh coat of paint, new bleachers, and new court what has changed? Clearly capacity will be smaller now moving forward. No video board in middle, no "bowl like" seating. I'm sorry but this is what $90M did? (I know there were many other improvements but this seems disappointing, no?) I said it before, perhaps on the old board ... read the promotional material from the capital fund with respect to athletics. Look at the scope of the actual project. What is clear is that the facilities upgrades are primarily about enhancing the student athlete experience. That means adequate practice facilities, locker rooms, training rooms, sports medicine facilities, etc. - i.e. stuff the fans don't see - for the teams. It is why Fittion Field was not upgraded in this capital plan. It is why the hockey arena was not upgraded in this capital plan. It is why the Hart basketball gym was only cosmetically upgraded in this capital plan. The facility upgrades, at this time, are not trying to attract fans to the gym, rink or field with jumbo-trons, comfy chairs, or a wicked good chowda at the concession stand. The upgrades are about trying to attract better student athletes, which will result in better teams and that will attract fans who will make the game day experience special for all, including the student athletes. Ask anyone who was in the Hart Center in March 2001, 2003, 2005, & 2007 what the atmosphere was like. I'll bet no one mentions the yellow paint on the walls and the wooden bleachers detracting from their game-day experience. (Though it may have been a very good thing that there was no jumbo-tron in 2005 to replay that charge called on KHam. They likely would not have finished the game for the safety of the official!)
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 10, 2016 14:04:33 GMT -5
Well, technically we don't. A "high school gym" pretty much has to be a gym at or owned by a high school. Holy Cross has not lost its accreditation and is still a college.
While your statement obviously means you think the Hart Center looks like a high school gym, I may just have low standards but think it is fine and even better now with renovations that will benefit the players. Would love to see a small jumbotron (I know that is an oxymoron) though. And a sound system that you can actually make out what is being said would be a bonus. Blaring music being abated would be another plus.
My chair back seats have been fine and I haven't heard a lot of the posters from section F complaining. I am sure they would like the seating to be more comfortable but it is a place to sit for about 2 hours and we aren't going to be seeing stadium seating like in the local theatres any time soon.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Oct 10, 2016 17:59:47 GMT -5
Can't lie, I really expected the lower bowl sideline bleachers to be converted to the pushback chairbacks that most low D-1 schools have nowadays. I'm sure I will get over it (and it does look really clean and sharp), but just being honest.
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Post by cfrivals on Oct 10, 2016 21:02:26 GMT -5
Agree NAD. With the 85 million, I thought we would get backs to our seats and video boards. Although I am glad to see new hoops, still a pretty week attempt at a D1 arena. Almost all high schools built in last 10 years have same lower bleachers!
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Post by matunuck on Oct 11, 2016 8:04:31 GMT -5
I thought I was the only one underwhelmed by the "new" Hart. Pretty surprising for what's supposed to be our premiere sport.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Oct 11, 2016 8:49:41 GMT -5
So I went searching the Web for info on Harvard's new basketball arena. And, to my great surprise, the new arena has been cancelled, and Harvard is renovating the existing arena, Lavietes Pavilion. Deducing from the article linked below, Harvard raised enough money for renovations, but not enough for a new arena. harvardmagazine.com/2016/09/harvard-renovates-allston-basketball-arenaLavietes will be a gussied-up high school gym, and retain the bleacher seating with no seat backs. I do think if they can get a video board into Lavietes, they should be able to get one into the Hart.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Oct 11, 2016 9:42:02 GMT -5
What a joke--Harvard did not have enough $$$ to build a new arena.
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Post by cfrivals on Oct 11, 2016 10:52:51 GMT -5
Seems like our football program getting the big push out of this Reno. Is a new coach part of that plan??
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Post by crusader1970 on Oct 11, 2016 11:52:50 GMT -5
What a joke--Harvard did not have enough $$$ to build a new arena. You are so right. The Harvard endowment fund is currently just short of $36 BILLION dollars. They could have built anything they wanted and it would have been a rounding error on that fund.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Oct 11, 2016 13:59:15 GMT -5
Harvard has $5.5 billion worth of debt, and its annual interest expense on that debt is currently $250 million a year. (The current principal payments look to be around $50 million a year.)
During the peak of the Great Recession, because it was so illiquid, Harvard had to float a billion dollars worth of bonds to cover operating expenses.
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Post by nhteamer on Oct 12, 2016 10:30:04 GMT -5
oh no!!!!! the poor Johnnies
too bad, SO sad
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Post by joe on Oct 12, 2016 18:27:45 GMT -5
I thought I was the only one underwhelmed by the "new" Hart. Pretty surprising for what's supposed to be our premiere sport. I would not consider what was done to the basketball arena a renovation at all. Just get rid of the bleachers and put in a video board for crying out load. I honestly can't believe this was not part of so costly and otherwise comprehensive renovation of the Hart Center, especially as an effort to celebrate and capitalize on the recent achievement of the men's team.
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Post by rickii on Oct 13, 2016 9:38:22 GMT -5
I thought I was the only one underwhelmed by the "new" Hart. Pretty surprising for what's supposed to be our premiere sport. I would not consider what was done to the basketball arena a renovation at all. Just get rid of the bleachers and put in a video board for crying out load. I honestly can't believe this was not part of so costly and otherwise comprehensive renovation of the Hart Center, especially as an effort to celebrate and capitalize on the recent achievement of the men's team. I think I get what you're trying to say but anyway....
I too had a punch list of items I wanted to see like an overhead scoreboard and rack lighting instead of the ceiling lights. However, overall I'm pleased with the elimination of ceiling-hung baskets, the entire reconstruction of and classy new floor, the new PA system, all the electrical upgrades, the new team meeting rooms, locker rooms, coaches offices and certainly the discarding of the gawd-awful wood bleachers with purple composit bleachers that are molded and pitched to be much easier on the tookiss. But yes, the building itself is small and up until the advent of the building additions plan, it looked like a warehouse on the exterior. The entrance will look much better for sure.
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Post by nhteamer on Oct 13, 2016 10:11:07 GMT -5
Hope you like it because 90% of us will be dead before they add one more dollar to the effort.
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Post by crusader12 on Oct 13, 2016 10:51:46 GMT -5
I would not consider what was done to the basketball arena a renovation at all. Just get rid of the bleachers and put in a video board for crying out load. I honestly can't believe this was not part of so costly and otherwise comprehensive renovation of the Hart Center, especially as an effort to celebrate and capitalize on the recent achievement of the men's team. I think I get what you're trying to say but anyway....
I too had a punch list of items I wanted to see like an overhead scoreboard and rack lighting instead of the ceiling lights. However, overall I'm pleased with the elimination of ceiling-hung baskets, the entire reconstruction of and classy new floor, the new PA system, all the electrical upgrades, the new team meeting rooms, locker rooms, coaches offices and certainly the discarding of the gawd-awful wood bleachers with purple composit bleachers that are molded and pitched to be much easier on the tookiss. But yes, the building itself is small and up until the advent of the e the
Classy new floor? Not sure if it's classy or not but it's very ugly IMO. The dark wood and purple are awful!
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Post by hc6774 on Oct 13, 2016 11:18:44 GMT -5
I'm reserving judgment until I get into the space... is the only access to the mezzanine from the original stair wells? I thought there may be access to the floor bleachers from that level but that doesn't show in the photo.
I expect that the biggest up grade is a team that truly makes our home court a tough place to play and that attracts fans that makes it even more so.
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 13, 2016 11:30:30 GMT -5
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Post by lou on Oct 13, 2016 12:02:03 GMT -5
Looked like the existing PA system was covered during renovation, so while it's fairly new, it's not new with this renovation I don't think
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Post by joe on Oct 13, 2016 12:03:04 GMT -5
I'm keeping an open mind till I'm in it but in terms of how it looks online it was a major let down for me. The brown looks dumb and should be purple. I get the point of the map of MA but it's simply not my taste. Anyway who cares as long as we keep winning championships.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Oct 13, 2016 12:18:31 GMT -5
The only access to the mezzanine is from either two new sets of stairs, two sets of retained stairs, and two elevators, the elevator most commonly used will be the one by the Bud Ryan room. _________________________________
Back on the old board, at a time when Fr. McF was still President, there were several discussions about the Hart court renovation.
The end result is turning out to be pretty close to what was being said on the old board, years ago. To a large degree, that is the consequence of the limitations of the original Hart design. _________________________________
A new sound system was not listed in the equipment the contractor was to purchase and install. Similarly, there was video board on the list. HC could purchase such items outside the contract and have them installed.
Remember, the value of construction on the permit is $72 million, which leaves $23 million (or thereabouts) for other stuff.
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