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Post by PantherU on Feb 18, 2017 9:46:40 GMT -6
Link: University puts dorms and Columbia renovation ahead of practice facility in request to stateI'm not exactly sure when the seg-fee fund will have enough money that we don't need the state, but I believe it's some time around 2023 or 2024. The advance is important in getting it done, so while I understand I'm disappointed that they are pushing it to the back burner. The whole "it could be funded somewhere else in the state budget" is frankly just lip service. It's an understandable move. Obviously if the dorms are in need of some "urgent" renovations, that's a high priority. I just don't like kicking the can further down the road, especially when the practice facility will be a net-zero for the taxpayer over time. Maybe if we offer to pay it back with interest haha |
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Post by MKEPanthers45 on Feb 18, 2017 20:12:16 GMT -6
As long as that @$$hat is governor we are not getting our practice facility.
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Post by Pantherholic on Feb 19, 2017 10:06:51 GMT -6
It's safe to assume it's not going to happen until we have almost all or all of the funding in hand already. The only way that'll happen sooner is a large donation or the student gov votes to increase their contribution. Dropping the fee by almost half helped extend the bleeding.
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Post by mkehoops on Feb 20, 2017 19:31:55 GMT -6
the university should not be relying on the state government to get this done. If the athletic department is serious about this project; there needs to be full blown public fundraising campaign to make it happen.
There is enough money in this city to get this project done. Time for the athletic department to step up and make it happen.
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Post by Pantherholic on Feb 20, 2017 20:34:10 GMT -6
If I'm not mistaken, the plan is for the state to loan the $ to build it and donations to furnish it. The university will be able to pay it back in full as Jimmy has previously said but they essentially refuse to give us the loan to do it. If Walker's '15-'17 budget was any indication to how funding will be approved from here on out, we'll need either all or the vast majority of funds in hand before it'll be approved.
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Post by mkehoops on Feb 20, 2017 21:03:45 GMT -6
Relying on government is not an efficient way to get things done. Let's find a way to get it done on our own.
My understanding is limited when it comes to the financials of this project... I am under the impression that a significant portion of this is already funded and there is a legitimate plan in place to fund the rest. If that is the case; there has to be another way to get a loan to cover the rest. Right?
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Post by Pantherholic on Feb 20, 2017 21:42:48 GMT -6
Relying on government is not an efficient way to get things done. Let's find a way to get it done on our own. My understanding is limited when it comes to the financials of this project... I am under the impression that a significant portion of this is already funded and there is a legitimate plan in place to fund the rest. If that is the case; there has to be another way to get a loan to cover the rest. Right? Buying the winning Powerball ticket will speed things up. The facility is already being funded with a student fee but the Student Association lowered the fee from $50 per student per year to $29 in '14 so that's an issue too. Let's face it, we don't have a donor base that can cover the ~$8M we're still in need of. Even before the end of last season, it wasn't going to happen and nothing has happened to think it will now. Even if we can, what are the odds it'll happen faster than the next budget in '19? |
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Post by mkehoops on Feb 20, 2017 22:02:55 GMT -6
Relying on government is not an efficient way to get things done. Let's find a way to get it done on our own. My understanding is limited when it comes to the financials of this project... I am under the impression that a significant portion of this is already funded and there is a legitimate plan in place to fund the rest. If that is the case; there has to be another way to get a loan to cover the rest. Right? Buying the winning Powerball ticket will speed things up. The facility is already being funded with a student fee but the Student Association lowered the fee from $50 per student per year to $29 in '14 so that's an issue too. Let's face it, we don't have a donor base that can cover the ~$8M we're still in need of. Even before the end of last season, it wasn't going to happen and nothing has happened to think it will now. Even if we can, what are the odds it'll happen faster than the next budget in '19? I guess my point was that people build buildings all of the time with a down payment and financing to cover the rest. Is there not a way to finance the rest via some type of other loan? Or because it's a public institution does it have to come from the state? $8 million is an amount that is achievable with our donor base. The problem is most of these donors are untapped. I have yet to see any type of public fundraising effort for this. There is a lot of money in this city to be had. The leaders of our university and athletic department need to do a better job of attracting it to our program. |
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Post by Pantherholic on Feb 21, 2017 8:04:47 GMT -6
I guess my point was that people build buildings all of the time with a down payment and financing to cover the rest. Is there not a way to finance the rest via some type of other loan? Or because it's a public institution does it have to come from the state? I guess I can't say definitively but I'm pretty sure $ has to come from either the state or private gifts. $8 million is an amount that is achievable with our donor base. The problem is most of these donors are untapped. I have yet to see any type of public fundraising effort for this. There is a lot of money in this city to be had. The leaders of our university and athletic department need to do a better job of attracting it to our program. I don't know what kind of campaign they have/plan to have but even if the facility was approved in this budget, it will be a few years before the dept even sees the money thanks to bureaucratic red tape. As an example, Whitewater was approved for a new dorm in the Fall of '12 for the '13-'15 budget. Walker approved the contract for contractors last August. I'm sure once the facility is approved, whenever that is, we'll hear more about a push to furnish it. That, or they may have some deals in place but what's the point of announcing them when we can't get the first part done? Kind of a crappy story to say (hypothetically) "Steinhafel's has graciously donated all necessary furniture for the facility that will hopefully be built in the next 10 years." |
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Post by theDarkHawkReturns on Feb 22, 2017 14:36:16 GMT -6
I guess this is what happens when:
Many of your employees, routinely, regularly and quite publicly, call the Governor and the legislators in control of both houses things like "Hitler", "evil", "illegitimate", among other fine adjectives. Not exactly an effective way of making a pitch.
"Governor Walker, YOU AND THE GOP ARE JUST LIKE HITLER! Hey, by the way, can I have several million dollars??? Pretty please? With sugar on it......oh, and YOU ARE ALL STILL JUST LIKE HITLER!!!"
You do not use the operational budget to maintain and continuously improve existing facilities like the dorms. That is a bit like letting all the maintenance and improvements of your house go undone for 40 years, and then begging the bank for a loan for the full value of the house to fix it all after it has gone to hell. If they had maintained and improved the dorms, they wouldn't need to beg for that money now, and could ask for it to be used on a new facility, not to renovate a 40 year old one. Another in a wonderful series of examples of piss poor management of this illustrious "public institution".
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Post by Pantherholic on Feb 26, 2017 17:41:53 GMT -6
You do not use the operational budget to maintain and continuously improve existing facilities like the dorms. That is a bit like letting all the maintenance and improvements of your house go undone for 40 years, and then begging the bank for a loan for the full value of the house to fix it all after it has gone to hell. If they had maintained and improved the dorms, they wouldn't need to beg for that money now, and could ask for it to be used on a new facility, not to renovate a 40 year old one. Another in a wonderful series of examples of piss poor management of this illustrious "public institution". Exactly! They should've been like La Crosse who made a new field house & soccer facility a top priority through the same funding methods as UWM's practice facility. Granted, they didn't get approved either as Walker wasn't going to approve new buildings regardless BUT obviously he would've approved UWM's anyways, right?  |
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Post by theDarkHawkReturns on Feb 27, 2017 8:39:44 GMT -6
I believe someone once said "What difference, at this point, does it make?"
Milwaukee is barely a Division 1 program now. Why should the state fund a practice facility for a glorified D-3 program? If I were a legislator, I would probably laugh out loud at the absurdity of the pitch, if anyone at Milwaukee even bothered to actually make one.
Milwaukee draws "1,200" fans a game...however about half of those "1,200" come dressed as empty seats or they are hiding in the restrooms for the duration of the games.
Milwaukee didn't even break double digits in wins COUNTING the MSOE game. Milwaukee won 4 total conference games in the #19 (by RPI) conference in the nation.
And yet some of you here cling to the belief that "all is well" and "Milwaukee is in great hands", and with a straight face expect the state to front the money for a D-1 level practice facility for a program that, at this point, may not even be in D-1 by the time construction is completed.
Too bad we don't have an extremely wealthy alumnus with a track record of making major donations to the University, and the Athletic Department, who could have made a major donation to fund a practice facility with his name on it....
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Post by MKEPanthers45 on Feb 27, 2017 13:04:11 GMT -6
I believe someone once said "What difference, at this point, does it make?" Milwaukee is barely a Division 1 program now. Why should the state fund a practice facility for a glorified D-3 program? If I were a legislator, I would probably laugh out loud at the absurdity of the pitch, if anyone at Milwaukee even bothered to actually make one. Milwaukee draws "1,200" fans a game...however about half of those "1,200" come dressed as empty seats or they are hiding in the restrooms for the duration of the games. Milwaukee didn't even break double digits in wins COUNTING the MSOE game. Milwaukee won 4 total conference games in the #19 (by RPI) conference in the nation. And yet some of you here cling to the belief that "all is well" and "Milwaukee is in great hands", and with a straight face expect the state to front the money for a D-1 level practice facility for a program that, at this point, may not even be in D-1 by the time construction is completed. Too bad we don't have an extremely wealthy alumnus with a track record of making major donations to the University, and the Athletic Department, who could have made a major donation to fund a practice facility with his name on it.... You really are one miserable human being. |
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Post by Pantherholic on Feb 27, 2017 20:38:37 GMT -6
I believe someone once said "What difference, at this point, does it make?" Milwaukee is barely a Division 1 program now. Why should the state fund a practice facility for a glorified D-3 program? If I were a legislator, I would probably laugh out loud at the absurdity of the pitch, if anyone at Milwaukee even bothered to actually make one. Agreed, there's no reason he'd fund a D3 practice facility. Granted, he's previously funded a gymnastics practice facility for La Crosse but that's different because La Crosse is D...what again? |
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Post by panthercpa on Feb 28, 2017 9:41:11 GMT -6
news.uwlax.edu/five-building-projects-at-uw-l-approved/ . Not Walker's job (in my opinion) to give your desired college team a new sports practice facility. His job is to look out for the interest of tax payers at large...I would love to see this team return to former glory, but it's not the governors job (nor state taxpayers job) to do that. It's the University admin's job, and our job as fans and donors. AD should be seeking out donations from alumni aggressively, and the student funding is a good start.
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