Phase 1 of West Virginia AD Shane Lyons' facilities plan is nearing completion, and so far the renovations have brought "major changes in the fan areas at the WVU Coliseum and Mountaineer Field, which created larger concourses at each site with new concession stands and restrooms," according to Greg Hunter of WVNEWS.com. Lyons will now turn his attention to Phase 2, which will include "more renovations at the Puskar Center and within the Coliseum, as well as to other athletic facilities at WVU." Lyons said, "What we’ve done at the football stadium and at the Coliseum, with the new concessions, new restrooms and easier fan flow though each facility has been remarkable. I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback. [Aesthetically] I think each facility is the best they’ve ever looked." He added, "People always talk about parking, and I realize that’s an issue, particularly for football and basketball. That’s not just unique to Morgantown. Those parking issues are true at any college campus for a big event. I think we did some great things in terms of parking at the Coliseum when it comes to ingress and egress. We’re emptying this lot in less than 30 minutes in most cases, which is pretty remarkable." Hunter noted two more "major pieces to Phase 1 should be finished in the next year or so." Lyons: "I’m told the track will ready this September, and then the aquatics center will be finished in September of 2019" (WVNEWS.com, 7/3).
FINGERS CROSSED: Renovations to LSU's Tiger Stadium "should be cleared up" by the time the college football season starts. Appearing on ESPN Radio 104.5 Jackson, La., LSU AD Joe Alleva said it "would be a disaster" if renovations were not done before the start of the season. LSU football's first game in Tiger Stadium is scheduled for Sept. 8, and Alleva said, "We certainly hope it will be (finished) ... They’ve promised us from the very beginning that it will be done. And I think when it’s done it’s gonna be a really nice improvement for that area. It’ll be aesthetically pleasing and I think it’ll be more functional as far as traffic flow." He added that concession stands and bathrooms within Tiger Stadium are "also getting an overhaul." Alleva: "One of the biggest complaints we always have from our fans is that the lines are too long to a concession stand. So we’re trying to add more spots, points of sale so that people have more opportunities to go to places and the lines won’t be so long" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 7/5).
