Mortenson Chosen to Build New Gopher Athletics Village

BleedGopher

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per GopherSports:

The University of Minnesota today announced the selection of M.A. Mortenson Company as the construction manager for the upcoming construction of the University's new Athletics Village. In this role, Mortenson will be responsible for planning and executing the construction of four new buildings on the department's existing footprint at the corner of 15th Avenue Southeast and 5th Street Southeast: the Center for Excellence (home to academic, leadership and nutrition centers), the Football Performance Center, the Football Indoor Practice Facility and the Basketball Development Center.

"Announcing our construction partner is an exciting milestone for our Nothing Short of Greatness campaign," said Director of Athletics Norwood Teague. "From the first day we shared plans for this project, we have been working against a very aggressive timeline to get these badly needed facilities built. Today's announcement is the latest point of progress as we move toward providing our student-athletes with modern facilities that will help us fulfill our promise to help them achieve greatness in the classroom, in competition and later in life."

http://www.gophersports.com/genrel/022715aaa.html

Go Gophers!!
 

Is the Basketball Development Center a practice facility?
 

Now donate some of your profits from this project to the University as a good faith measure in thanks to the taxpayers of the State of Minnesota in light of Target Field and other public projects previously awarded to Mortenson.
 

Now donate some of your profits from this project to the University as a good faith measure in thanks to the taxpayers of the State of Minnesota in light of Target Field and other public projects previously awarded to Mortenson.

Can you please explain this logic to me? I'll admit I don't know much about these projects, but my initial thought is that if Mortenson consistently wins these bids they cost much less than their competitors. If that's true, I'd say they are already demonstrating good faith to the public by completing these projects for less money than their competitors would. For example, if their bid was $10MM higher and then they donated $10MM to the University, it would come off as a pure publicity stunt.
 

But Gopher Warrior told me the plan was flawed and they would never build these facilities. Why are they choosing a construction company for a doomed project?
 


But Gopher Warrior told me the plan was flawed and they would never build these facilities. Why are they choosing a construction company for a doomed project?

Any chance he'll get upset and not show up around here again?:rolleyes:
 

Can you please explain this logic to me? I'll admit I don't know much about these projects, but my initial thought is that if Mortenson consistently wins these bids they cost much less than their competitors. If that's true, I'd say they are already demonstrating good faith to the public by completing these projects for less money than their competitors would. For example, if their bid was $10MM higher and then they donated $10MM to the University, it would come off as a pure publicity stunt.

A lot of assumptions in that logic. Mortenson has built most every major sports complex in the area, could be they have the best experience. Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask for a contribution.


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But Gopher Warrior told me the plan was flawed and they would never build these facilities. Why are they choosing a construction company for a doomed project?

No, no. I said the plan was flawed and they needed to change their path sooner than later because it was likely inevitable. They have begun to change their tune (Nothing Short of Greatness now is $40M short of greatness; fully funded before construction now is 80% of $150M, tear down of Bierman is now update Bierman sometime in the future, we hope, etc.).

What has happened to date is not surprising, but it's not nearly enough. Next is get more creative with funding the project.

Things will get built.. when, to what degree vs. the 'original plan', how, etc... those are still the questions.

The University has backtracked and changed plans. This is good. But time is still wasting and more drastic measures are needed. Let's hope for the best, but as for hiring Mortenson.. it's just a step in a long process - the key is getting the go-ahead for construction and getting shovels in the ground. That's when it's news.

Glad the U has been able to back down on their silly goals as initially set -- but they need to continue to retreat and change course even more so than they've already done.

Go Gophers!
 

No, no. I said the plan was flawed and they needed to change their path sooner than later because it was likely inevitable. They have begun to change their tune (Nothing Short of Greatness now is $40M short of greatness; fully funded before construction now is 80% of $150M, tear down of Bierman is now update Bierman sometime in the future, we hope, etc.).

What has happened to date is not surprising, but it's not nearly enough. Next is get more creative with funding the project.

Things will get built.. when, to what degree vs. the 'original plan', how, etc... those are still the questions.

The University has backtracked and changed plans. This is good. But time is still wasting and more drastic measures are needed. Let's hope for the best, but as for hiring Mortenson.. it's just a step in a long process - the key is getting the go-ahead for construction and getting shovels in the ground. That's when it's news.

Glad the U has been able to back down on their silly goals as initially set -- but they need to continue to retreat and change course even more so than they've already done.

Go Gophers!

I don't disagree with you Warrior on scaling back the standards to get the plan started. As far as the goals- they were never silly. This is a town with plenty of big corporations. These companies generally go big or they do nothing. Pitching a big dream with big goals is what gets them interested. As to getting started- you are right. We need to be starting this year for sure and they should go in stages to the degree they can do it cost effectively. Put up the shells if needed and pay as you go on the interiors- staying first class with the design. Gotta do basketball and football NOW and then finish the rest as the funds roll in. Success will pay for more success.
 



Fantastic progress on their goals. The amount of money they've raised over the past year is amazing. Administration has always been looking at all funding opportunities to get this project in the works.

Anyone who thinks all the fundraising strategies and design efforts weren't calculated from the beginning are either naive or ignorant to big time fundraising and construction of a facility of this magnitude. Either that or they are backtracking from their own hedged takes.
 

No, no. I said the plan was flawed and they needed to change their path sooner than later because it was likely inevitable. They have begun to change their tune (Nothing Short of Greatness now is $40M short of greatness; fully funded before construction now is 80% of $150M, tear down of Bierman is now update Bierman sometime in the future, we hope, etc.).

What has happened to date is not surprising, but it's not nearly enough. Next is get more creative with funding the project.

Things will get built.. when, to what degree vs. the 'original plan', how, etc... those are still the questions.

The University has backtracked and changed plans. This is good. But time is still wasting and more drastic measures are needed. Let's hope for the best, but as for hiring Mortenson.. it's just a step in a long process - the key is getting the go-ahead for construction and getting shovels in the ground. That's when it's news.

Go Gophers!


Typically if you get 70% of whatever capital campaign target is then you have you're doing very well. This was probably their realistic target plan that they had behind closed doors. But then again I could be a typical minnesotan and be all pessimistic about it like you.
 




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