Kevin Duggan

kevinduggan@coloradoan.com

Opponents of building an on-campus stadium at CSU are not giving up the fight despite Wednesday's recommendation of committees made up of university staff and community members that came out in favor of building an on-campus stadium.

None of the four committees supported the concept of renovating Hughes Stadium, which university officials say needs $30 million to $40 million in repairs.

Even though the anti-stadium group Save Our Stadium Hughes has repeatedly come up short in its efforts to garner support from Colorado State University officials for renovating Hughes Stadium, critics of building a new stadium say they will continue pushing their cause to the university's board of governors.

Whether their concerns will be heard remains to be seen, said SOSH leader Bob Vangermeersch.

CSU President Tony Frank is expected to make a recommendation on the stadium to the board of governors during its meeting Dec. 4-5 in Denver. Frank is expected to discuss four potential options for the stadium, including renovating Hughes Stadium.

If the board only considers the two options that call for an on-campus stadium — a 36,000-seat facility that would cost an estimated $225 million or a pared-down, 30,000-seat version for about $180 million — the discussion is likely to kick off "a whole new battle," Vangermeersch said.

"Now the rubber really hits the road," he said. "They are going to have to show us the numbers and what makes this a viable project."

Before the board of governors takes up the stadium issue, all eyes in Fort Collins will be on a city report expected to be released next week that will detail potential impacts of the stadium.

The report will look at a number of issues, including street improvements, parking, utilities and impacts to neighborhoods near campus, said Karen Cumbo, executive director of planning, development and transportation for the city.

The report will be used to craft a resolution for council members to consider at their Dec. 2 meeting. The resolution is expected to serve as the framework for an intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, between the city and CSU on which steps would be taken to mitigate the stadium's impacts, Cumbo said.

City staff has worked with CSU and studied reports related to the stadium project to come up with solid estimates on what improvements would cost, she said.

"We really wanted it to be data-driven and useful as opposed to what has been coming out with people making guesses," she said.

Frank has said CSU will pay its share for improvements needed to support an in-town stadium but would not be held responsible for fixing longstanding problems at intersections and streets next to campus.

Doug Brobst, an outspoken critic of building an on-campus stadium, said he would like the council to formally come out against an on-campus stadium, although he does not expect that to happen.

The council's voice might carry more weight with the board of governors than "grassroots" Fort Collins residents, he said.

"I understand mitigation and an IGA," he said. "But that doesn't get to all of the issues that would affect the community.

"CSU has said they want to work with the community, but they haven't done it."

City Council member Ross Cunniff said he hopes whatever resolution the council considers will touch on quality-of-life impacts from a stadium that are not easily quantified.

Cunniff said he would prefer to see Hughes Stadium renovated, but he doesn't expect the remainder of the council to vote in support of a resolution calling for that to happen.