OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a contract Friday with Omaha-based HDR to work on options for changes to Memorial Stadium.
Renovations to the 100-year-old stadium have been a point of conversation for years.
Now, HDR will get to work on a "range of options." They'll be paid a $1.1 million flat fee for those options and, if a project comes from it, 8% of that project's cost.
"It's really about the fan experience," University of Nebraska President Ted Carter told 3 News Now after the meeting.
He said that includes conversations about things like quick access to concessions, adding gates, and increasing seat comfort. He also said moving the student section "to a more viable place" is on the table.
Carter said fans will get a chance to weigh in during the process.
"We're going to be very public and transparent about what we're doing," he said. "Everybody's going to able to see what the range of options are."
Carter said the project will "probably" range between $250 million and $750 million dollars.
"We have to determine what the appetite is for the philanthropic community," he said.
He said it will be funded through donations and a "self loan."
"Self loan" refers to afunding model created in 2019 that allows campuses to borrow money from a university system "central bank" and pay it back at low interest, a spokesperson said.
The regents last acted on the project in September by voting to allow a different order of steps than is typical for a building project.
The last significant change to seating was the East Stadium renovation in 2013, which added 6,000 seats.
"This is going to take a number of years to do," he said. "This is kind of like repairing the airplane while you're flying it."
But this project, if approved, is likely to reduce the stadium's capacity, Carter said. The capacity, he said, could be reduced to around 80,000 or a little less.
The meeting was held on the campus of the University of Nebraska Omaha.
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