CSU to hold public forums on stadium

Colorado State University will hold a series of 10 public forums regarding the proposed on-campus stadium beginning on Feb 23.

The forums will be facilitated, small-group discussions, and participants are asked to attend just one session. Registration is required and can be made online through CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation or by calling the Communication Studies department at 970-491-6140.

The CPD will collect public feedback through the forums as well as online and in-person research. CPD will post public comments on its website at cpd.colostate.edu and compile a report for the 15-member Stadium Advisory Committee. The committee is charged with making a recommendation to CSU President Tony Frank by the end of the semester on whether the university should pursue an on-campus stadium, where it could be built and how it could be funded.

“Many people care deeply about the stadium proposal, and I believe our community is best served by a robust, respectful discussion of the merits and concerns related to the idea of building a new stadium,” said Martín Carcasson, CPD director and associate professor of Communication Studies. “The public forums will provide participants with an opportunity to consider multiple, legitimate perspectives on the stadium while also providing ample opportunity for people to express their particular views. I also strongly encourage those who do not yet have a clear position on the issue to attend the forums, as these represent opportunities for them to hear multiple perspectives and inform their opinions.”

The public meetings will be held in the Lory Student Center on the CSU campus and at the Drake Center, 802 W. Drake Road in Fort Collins, between Feb. 23 and March 7. A complete list of times and locations is available at www.colostate.edu/stadium.

Frank also outlined firm guidelines of what will and won’t be considered as part of a recommendation on whether to build a new stadium on the university’s main campus:
• CSU won’t consider putting the stadium on existing open green space, including the intramural fields.

• CSU won’t consider putting the stadium in front of significant existing view sheds so as to protect views of the mountains.

• All recommendations from the Advisory Committee must take into serious account any impact on neighbors in areas adjacent or near a new stadium.

• State appropriation, tuition, fees or taxes will not be considered as funding sources for a stadium project.

“In whatever the committee recommends, they must respect and uphold CSU’s mission as a land-grant university and the institution’s focus on excellence in everything we do,” Frank said. “If we keep that mission and standard of excellence in mind, along with the parameters outlined here, the Stadium Advisory Committee will come back with an appropriate recommendation.”

The next meeting of the committee is set for March 29.