In the long-running Carrier Dome renovations saga, we hear bits and pieces of things, see renderings that Syracuse shouts down and hear more talk than we see images.
Lucky us, we've finally moved past that portion of the conversation and into the next phase of things:
ACTUAL RENDERINGS AND CONFIRMED PLANS.
Today, Syracuse released campus framework documents to the university community (you can download the PDF here), which include a bunch of images of the proposed changes, explanations of things we hadn't see before, and more. There's good stuff about the entirety of campus in there, so would suggest reading through the full 42-page doc. But for our purposes here, we're calling out the athletics portions of things:
SU's almost definitely getting out of the Carrier naming rights deal
One of the biggest pieces of conversation around the renovation has been the Dome's naming rights deal, which had a lifetime guarantee for Carrier. Obviously sponsorship deals have changed since this original agreement was signed for $2.75 million total, and SU would like to recoup some of that money.
In the campus framework document, "Dome" is mentioned seven times. "Carrier" is completely absent.
— Dan Lyons (@Dan_Lyons76) June 20, 2016
This not a guarantee, clearly. But Syracuse seems ready to go to war with Carrier a bit (by way of architectural workarounds or legally) to be done with the naming convention. In the university's two public statements about the building since renovation talk became a reality, there's been one Carrier mention total.
That non-rendering from May was definitely the actual rendering
You know, the one that was posted by Walters Inc. and then rescinded by way of typical Syracuse wrist-slap. Well, the below looks a whole lot like that, doesn't it?
Also, yeah, definitely add those flags outside from the lead image (though find a way to make them weather-proof...).
Dome/Arch complex will be a thing, even if not 100-pecent the same building
From the doc itself, which spells out the future of both:
The Dome
The Dome is a central part of any Syracuse student’s experience and considered the ‘heartbeat’ of campus — with students beginning and ending their academic careers in this iconic facility.
As part of the West Campus Project, the University will replace the aging Dome roof with a new fixed roof leveraging premier cutting-edge technology. In addition, comprehensive Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-related accessibility and mobility upgrades to the Dome are planned to further provide a world-class experience to athletic fans and event-attendees.
These improvements will dramatically enhance the student experience, while also integrating the Dome into more academic and programmatic space that extends beyond the facility and into the surrounding area on campus and adjacent neighborhoods
The Arch
As part of the transformational West Campus Project, this initiative will include substantial renovations to the Archbold Gymnasium to create the "Arch," a new state-of-the-art student-focused health and wellness complex. With the University’s commitment to nourish students beyond the academic realm, the Arch will serve to better coordinate all student services both organizationally and physically, and assure full accessibility. The project will advance a seamless and robust approach to the learning, advising, counseling, engagement, and development of the whole student.
This integration of services in a new and fully-accessible facility, offers a very visible central hub for students, presents opportunities for collaboration and efficiencies between currently discrete departments, and can open the door to creative and innovative collaborations across campus.
South Campus athletics/recreation complex coming
Not to be lost in the larger story about the Dome is the fact that the school's doubling down on main campus housing. The Sheraton's getting converted to housing, South Campus housing is being moved, and that means SUA gets a whole lot of room to run out there. They didn't go into a ton of detail just yet, but expect some upcoming plans around a larger athletics and recreation complex over on South that adds to the already growing footprint Orange sports inhabits.
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Anything else you noticed? Obviously a lot of campus-related things that are not on the athletics radar, so discuss any and all questions/concerns/praise below.