(01-18-2024 11:13 AM)chicagoduke Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 10:30 AM)jmu98 Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 10:27 AM)chicagoduke Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 09:39 AM)jmu98 Wrote:  As far as family names I think the same holds true, though they would probably try to substitute something else if that were to happen.

Hey Showker family, how does "Mr. Chips, presented by Zane Showker" sound?

Do you disagree that if someone wants to give 50 million to business school or athletics they aren't renaming it? IF that was the donor stipulation and they did not that would be really dumb.

No, I totally agree. I just think Zane's Chips is a funny concept.

I also believe (and I am likely in the minority here) that it's corny as hell to want your name all over stuff. It's bordering on narcissistic. But if someone wants their name on things to prove to everyone that they're a BSD, sure, go for it.

A lot of time it is not the individual it gets named after who asks for it, but a descendant or friend. See King Hall. Pretty sure Charlie didn't ask for a name to be put on the building, but he meant enough to JMU.

(01-18-2024 05:29 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  Godwin is being paid for with General Assembly appropriated tax dollars to convert it into academic use. Bridgeforth is a varsity athletics facility that must (by law) be paid for without tax dollars, and would (most likely) require bonding authority being granted by the General Assembly.

I'm curious - isn't a pool *really* expensive to build? I mean, I know that the numbers for labor, utility relocation, etc are different when you're using state money, on state-owned land, at the scale that a university uses. But I always thought that if you were worried about using your money smartly, leaving in place (and/or renovating in place) a pool that worked at all was a no-brainer in terms of financial prudence.

I'd love it if someone who deals with the piles of money involved in these projects could shed a little light on that.

As a side question - would the rule Longhorn mentioned above a complication in having Godwin serve both an academic purpose and a varsity athletics purpose?

One idea for a competition pool would be to take it off campus and make it a community place.
Christiansburg has an aquatic center that is really impressive. It is accessible by the public and has a ton of competitive events there. Not just VT swimming, but HS and club events. It's a full competition pool with diving boards, spectator seating, a rec pool area for casual swimmers and kids, in addition to rooms for classrooms and public events.
That may be a much more attractive idea for JMU/Harrisonburg that could not just benefit the University, but the community as well.

(01-18-2024 02:14 PM)94computerguy Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 05:29 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  Godwin is being paid for with General Assembly appropriated tax dollars to convert it into academic use. Bridgeforth is a varsity athletics facility that must (by law) be paid for without tax dollars, and would (most likely) require bonding authority being granted by the General Assembly.

I'm curious - isn't a pool *really* expensive to build? I mean, I know that the numbers for labor, utility relocation, etc are different when you're using state money, on state-owned land, at the scale that a university uses. But I always thought that if you were worried about using your money smartly, leaving in place (and/or renovating in place) a pool that worked at all was a no-brainer in terms of financial prudence.

I'd love it if someone who deals with the piles of money involved in these projects could shed a little light on that.

As a side question - would the rule Longhorn mentioned above a complication in having Godwin serve both an academic purpose and a varsity athletics purpose?

A replacement for Savage Natatorium currently located in Godwin would be expensive…very expensive if designed right. Then again, most facilities have a shelf life, and Savage Natatorium is the same age as Godwin making it close to 50 years old.

JMU’s natatorium in Godwin received an overhaul to the pool a few years ago that cost tens of thousands of $$$ (I recall a number of around $200k), but I can’t speak to whether that was a “patch job” meant to hold things in working order until a new replacement could be funded, or was a repair intended to extend the life of the natatorium for decades to come. Either way, the present natatorium is certainly serviceable, kinda like the Convo was serviceable as a basketball venue.

I haven’t seen any plans on paper, so I’m just repeating a rumor I’ve heard that a new natatorium is planned for the Sentara fields location. If true, removing the natatorium from Godwin would free up the building for a total redo without any athletic support functions. Rehabbing Godwin as an academic building (closely located, and possibly even attached to BFS) wouldn’t necessarily queer the use of tax dollars to rehab Godwin. It’s all in how the Godwin project is described in the funding process.

^ good info and rumor! thanks...you're usually pretty "on" with these, except for Cig and "grass isn't greener" hahah...easy now, take the ribbing...

Didn't JSU build dorms that happened to have stadium seating on the backside? Probably called it "advanced water displacement system" to get it approved....these are slick Ron Carrier moves

(01-18-2024 02:33 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  One idea for a competition pool would be to take it off campus and make it a community place.
Christiansburg has an aquatic center that is really impressive. It is accessible by the public and has a ton of competitive events there. Not just VT swimming, but HS and club events. It's a full competition pool with diving boards, spectator seating, a rec pool area for casual swimmers and kids, in addition to rooms for classrooms and public events.
That may be a much more attractive idea for JMU/Harrisonburg that could not just benefit the University, but the community as well.

Maybe JMU could through the city some money for an overhaul of Westover since that would put it still close to campus (a few blocks from Memorial) and is central for the rest of the city instead of the Sentara park campus which is in a corner of the city.

So what you’re saying LH is JMU should pull off this “beautiful” monstrosity like this from EKU?

https://digitalcollections.eku.edu/exhib...dd-stadium

I was curious given the Cox Bill how JMU was able to get the Convo Reno redone with those funds and always thought they used the magic of freeing up Godwin for academics to make it happen. But whose academics will be key.

They could put all sports and media related classes in there. They could also put study and meeting rooms in there too for players and it would be “academic ” too. Then that frees up APC space.

Godwin Hall Renovation
o This facility is located near to the College of Business Learning Complex and houses the Department of Kinesiology and the Hart School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management.
o With recent relocations of athletic services, the building will predominately consist of educational and general (E&G) space in a central location.
o The proposed project is to remodel 70,555 gsf of the 185,300 gsf building and convert it into more functional academic spaces.
o The upper-level proposed renovation includes a large mixed-use room, student services center, a larger call center, informal student study space with huddle rooms, a new office suite for the Hart School, a revamped graduate classroom, and a large lecture hall. This additional space will consolidate the Department of Kinesiology and Hart School labs and classrooms, which are currently dispersed across different facilities on campus.
o A new academic hub will include several EPIC (Enhancing Pedagogy through Innovation Classroom Center) classrooms of varying sizes, offices, a testing center, a computer lab, and office space.
The total planning and construction project budget is $40,480,000.

Here is the Godwin Plan. Was hoping for some infrastructure / relocating electrical to prep for Stadium expansion next.

Interesting tidbit on a both Johnston and Moody will be expanded and renovated. Moody is 28,000 sqft addition and Johnston 11,000 sqft.

(01-18-2024 10:37 PM)Dukes1992! Wrote:  Godwin Hall Renovation
o This facility is located near to the College of Business Learning Complex and houses the Department of Kinesiology and the Hart School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management.
o With recent relocations of athletic services, the building will predominately consist of educational and general (E&G) space in a central location.
o The proposed project is to remodel 70,555 gsf of the 185,300 gsf building and convert it into more functional academic spaces.
o The upper-level proposed renovation includes a large mixed-use room, student services center, a larger call center, informal student study space with huddle rooms, a new office suite for the Hart School, a revamped graduate classroom, and a large lecture hall. This additional space will consolidate the Department of Kinesiology and Hart School labs and classrooms, which are currently dispersed across different facilities on campus.
o A new academic hub will include several EPIC (Enhancing Pedagogy through Innovation Classroom Center) classrooms of varying sizes, offices, a testing center, a computer lab, and office space.
The total planning and construction project budget is $40,480,000.

Here is the Godwin Plan. Was hoping for some infrastructure / relocating electrical to prep for Stadium expansion next.

Interesting tidbit on a both Johnston and Moody will be expanded and renovated. Moody is 28,000 sqft addition and Johnston 11,000 sqft.

I wonder if the football team would be using the large lecture hall in the future in lieu of the club level or rooms in the APC.

There’s two great spaces for a large lecture hall to go, either a pool or a former gym. Perhaps corroborating the rumor LH heard. Especially with the future stadium expansion being cantilevered over Godwin the program might use some of these spaces.

(01-18-2024 04:55 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  Maybe JMU could through the city some money for an overhaul of Westover since that would put it still close to campus (a few blocks from Memorial) and is central for the rest of the city instead of the Sentara park campus which is in a corner of the city.

^
Not going to happen.

If JMU replaces Savage Natatorium it will be built on university owned and controlled land, and designed from the ground-up as a state of the art pool and diving facility. That much I’m confident in sharing.

Incorporating a new swimming/diving facility as part of the Sentara Park sports complex would take advantage of existing parking and other infrastructure, but as I shared earlier, I can’t confirm that’s what is being planned.

I can also confidently state that JMU has moved past the era of half-assed construction projects, by which I mean to suggest the 30 years of Carrier’s “git it done” approach to campus development.

I loved Ron (as most of us do), and sincerely believe he was a genius. Working closely with Carrier while he was Prez there can be little doubt that his approach to building was absolutely the only way to address the needs of JMU as it grew quickly in the late 70s-90s. His method of campus development (if you can call it a “method”) also created many flawed buildings. The tenure of LR as Prez introduced a much needed structure to JMU’s planning process to campus construction, and Alger has accelerated and expanded upon that approach.

JMU is now defined by three distinct architectural aesthetics (blue stone (old campus), red brick (middle campus), and white brick (new campus/East & West edges). There’s no undoing what Uncle Ron left us, good or flawed. Thankfully, there will be no further projects that fail to incorporate a thoughtful consideration of how a building meets the best-use needs of its occupants/educational mission, and rehabbing Westover is a non-starter.

Whatever emerges regarding the need for a JMU natatorium, JMU will do it right. It may allow for some kind of community access (like the Memorial ballpark is used for summer league play), but the natatorium will be a wholly owned and operated JMU entity on university property.

Swap locations for the pool and the 1/2 field indoor facility at Sentara park! Win-win!

The Hart school can practice in their educational building running logistics and operations foe “live” suites on the Sw side of building, that just happens to overlooking the football field. The educational building and the stadium might just have to share an overlap of a footprint due to proximity!

P-lot would make a lot of sense for the bus terminal. Then make up foe the existing spaces lost in P-lot in the current bus drop off. Getting the buses out after games slows down the outflow of F and G. All pedestrian traffic to the busses would head toward the tunnel and cross bluestone drive there.

The third lane is the interstate is going in the median through campus to there’s less chance that they’d take any of that land for I-81. Swap P-lot and the current bus station.

(01-19-2024 02:43 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 04:55 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  Maybe JMU could through the city some money for an overhaul of Westover since that would put it still close to campus (a few blocks from Memorial) and is central for the rest of the city instead of the Sentara park campus which is in a corner of the city.

^
Not going to happen.

If JMU replaces Savage Natatorium it will be built on university owned and controlled land, and designed from the ground-up as a state of the art pool and diving facility. That much I’m confident in sharing.

Incorporating a new swimming/diving facility as part of the Sentara Park sports complex would take advantage of existing parking and other infrastructure, but as I shared earlier, I can’t confirm that’s what is being planned.

I can also confidently state that JMU has moved past the era of half-assed construction projects, by which I mean to suggest the 30 years of Carrier’s “git it done” approach to campus development.

I loved Ron (as most of us do), and sincerely believe he was a genius. Working closely with Carrier while he was Prez there can be little doubt that his approach to building was absolutely the only way to address the needs of JMU as it grew quickly in the late 70s-90s. His method of campus development (if you can call it a “method”) also created many flawed buildings. The tenure of LR as Prez introduced a much needed structure to JMU’s planning process to campus construction, and Alger has accelerated and expanded upon that approach.

JMU is now defined by three distinct architectural aesthetics (blue stone (old campus), red brick (middle campus), and white brick (new campus/East & West edges). There’s no undoing what Uncle Ron left us, good or flawed. Thankfully, there will be no further projects that fail to incorporate a thoughtful consideration of how a building meets the best-use needs of its occupants/educational mission, and rehabbing Westover is a non-starter.

Whatever emerges regarding the need for a JMU natatorium, JMU will do it right. It may allow for some kind of community access (like the Memorial ballpark is used for summer league play), but the natatorium will be a wholly owned and operated JMU entity on university property.

Yeah, I know but I can hope and at least put the idea out there. Remember Harrisonburg > JMU for me, so I am always hoping JMU will do collaborative projects with the city.

Not sure if our city high schools have pools in them, so a state of the art competition facility could be good collaboration there. Now that we have two city high schools, I want to see the cross-city matchups hosted at JMU instead of a specific school.

(01-19-2024 02:43 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 04:55 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  Maybe JMU could through the city some money for an overhaul of Westover since that would put it still close to campus (a few blocks from Memorial) and is central for the rest of the city instead of the Sentara park campus which is in a corner of the city.

rehabbing Westover is a non-starter.

You're not talking about Westover Park, right? I thought that was way over on the other end of town. Am I missing something?

(01-19-2024 10:35 AM)94computerguy Wrote:  

(01-19-2024 02:43 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(01-18-2024 04:55 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  Maybe JMU could through the city some money for an overhaul of Westover since that would put it still close to campus (a few blocks from Memorial) and is central for the rest of the city instead of the Sentara park campus which is in a corner of the city.

rehabbing Westover is a non-starter.

You're not talking about Westover Park, right? I thought that was way over on the other end of town. Am I missing something?

Westover Park is a whole lot closer to main campus than most would realize (literally 2 blocks from Memorial hall).

The old plan had the new natatorium at Sentara Park. No idea if that still holds water or not. But Godwin is 100% an academic building with a pool in it and that's not changing. The whole building minus the pool will get gutted and rehabbed into classrooms and such.

There was a full size indoor practice facility /marching band facility discussed for where the old baseball stadium was (and football practice field next to it).

(01-19-2024 09:16 AM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  Yeah, I know but I can hope and at least put the idea out there. Remember Harrisonburg > JMU for me, so I am always hoping JMU will do collaborative projects with the city.

Not sure if our city high schools have pools in them, so a state of the art competition facility could be good collaboration there. Now that we have two city high schools, I want to see the cross-city matchups hosted at JMU instead of a specific school.

I don’t believe either Harrisonburg HS have pools. Otherwise each HS will have their own athletic facilities (football fields, gyms, baseball, etc.) for hosting cross-town matchups, but no pools.

(01-19-2024 02:35 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  The old plan had the new natatorium at Sentara Park. No idea if that still holds water or not. But Godwin is 100% an academic building with a pool in it and that's not changing. The whole building minus the pool will get gutted and rehabbed into classrooms and such.

There was a full size indoor practice facility /marching band facility discussed for where the old baseball stadium was (and football practice field next to it).

see what ya did there.

(01-19-2024 10:39 AM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  Westover Park is a whole lot closer to main campus than most would realize (literally 2 blocks from Memorial hall).

...googles 'JMU Memorial Hall'. Oh!

Saw what looked like a new parking deck near the old baseball field. Seems to be coming along well.