Duke has "removed its 'crow's nest' seating at Cameron Indoor Stadium due to safety concerns," according to Wiseman & Alexander of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. The crow's nest, a "tight structure 'very similar to a catwalk' that hung from the ceiling and was tucked into the rafters at center court above fans," was accessible "only by portable metal ladders that were removed and placed inside the structure once games started." It was "used by the university as 'specialty seating' for auction winners and to house television and radio broadcasters, along with other reporters and video operators during games." Getting in or out of the crow's nest "meant climbing up and down the metal steps." The bottoms of the ladders "rested on an aisle, meaning it would have blocked fans sitting below the crows' nest from leaving if the ladders were always left in the down position." That would have "violated fire codes." Duke Deputy AD/Operations Mike Cragg said that a "review of Cameron as part of the athletics facilities upgrades going on at Duke led the school to make changes this summer." Wiseman & Alexander noted city of Durham records show permits were approved this summer "to remove the old crow's nest and replace it with the current temporary structure." Cragg said that the new permanent structure, "expected to be completed by next basketball season, will be equipped with permanent steps." The 77-year-old, 9,314-seat arena "could lose approximately 30 seats when the renovation is completed" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/21).
