Alfond Foundation $500 Million gift to multiple Maine entities

Attended the grand opening dedication of the University of Maine Softball Complex on Friday....

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Interesting architectural design for the Alfond Arena and Shawn Walsh Center additions. I'm pleasantly surprised.

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Does anyone know if Memorial Gym- The Pitt is getting renovated? I know the capacity is not 3,100 right now. I think that what the capacity would be after renovations for the 2012 reno that did not impact the actual gym. Now cleaning the place up a but should cost around 20-25 million.
 
PWMFlyer said:
No, a totally new venue is planned to be built
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That is correct. The BOT just approved the $46 million renovation for Alfond Arena and Shawn Walsh Center which will start this spring...completion for the 25-26 season. Next up after that will be the centerpiece of the Athletics Master Plan.....Morse Arena (basketball) which is rumored to seat 2,500-3,000. It will also include football operations, basketball operations, locker rooms, etc. It will probably be in the $100 million cost range with an estimated completion date of December 2026.
 
I understand Maine is getting a new basketball arena. What are the plans for the Pit? I read somewhere the columns holding up the roof cost too much to replace. The seats look ancient and they no longer have seats/bleachers on the court. Back in the 80s the capcity was around 2200. The old renovation renderings are no longer online. The renovation looked closer to USF's War Memorial Gym
 
Did the basketball teams wind up using the new Cross Center in Bangor very often? I know that initially there were plans for them to move at least some of their home games there; the court even has the Black Bear logo in the tip-off circle.
 
markhb said:
Did the basketball teams wind up using the new Cross Center in Bangor very often? I know that initially there were plans for them to move at least some of their home games there; the court even has the Black Bear logo in the tip-off circle.
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They both played all of their games there for a few seasons....then the women moved all of their games to the Pit....and now the men also play most of their games there too. The men's team played 2 games in Bangor this season. The CIC never seemed to embrace UMaine as a major tenant and booted the teams numerous times for Boat Shows, rodeos, and other events. The basketball court now has a Paul Bunyan logo. Hope the City of Bangor and the CIC are happy now because Maine will never play there again once their new facility on campus is completed. It was always a weird vibe in there for college events.
 
Seanflynn78 said:
I understand Maine is getting a new basketball arena. What are the plans for the Pit? I read somewhere the columns holding up the roof cost too much to replace. The seats look ancient and they no longer have seats/bleachers on the court. Back in the 80s the capcity was around 2200. The old renovation renderings are no longer online. The renovation looked closer to USF's War Memorial Gym
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There are no plans to renovate the Pit. It had some upgrades done a few years back including a new court, some paint, better lighting....and a new video board installed this season. They won't be putting anymore major money into it though.
 
mainejeff said:
They both played all of their games there for a few seasons....then the women moved all of their games to the Pit....and now the men also play most of their games there too. The men's team played 2 games in Bangor this season. The CIC never seemed to embrace UMaine as a major tenant and booted the teams numerous times for Boat Shows, rodeos, and other events. The basketball court now has a Paul Bunyan logo. Hope the City of Bangor and the CIC are happy now because Maine will never play there again once their new facility on campus is completed. It was always a weird vibe in there for college events.
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I appreciate it, thanks!
 
Are they doing any other renovations inside Alfond arena? Adding seats to the upper bowl? I know UNH made sure the Whit had a larger capacity than the Alfond back when it was constructed. But Alfond is such a better atmosphere when its sold out than the Whit.

The new scoreboards look great. Great to see the hockey team winning again. I know about 12- 13 years ago they put in new ice and replaced the lower bowl seating. Curious and excited to aee what updates are planned for inside Alfond arena.
 
Much needed and visually interesting but that is an insane amount of money for improvements without increasing the seating capacity. Now I don't feel so bad about the $29M spent to update the Cross Insurance Arena over a decade ago!
 
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Portlander said:
That is an insane amount of money for improvements without increasing the seating capacity. Now I don't so bad about the $32M spent to update the Cross Insurance Arena over a decade ago!
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It improves a lot of student-athlete related facilities in addition to the fan experience. Much is focused on attracting recruits....that is the #1 priority. Maine Hockey fans love Alfond....they don't need a lot of bells and whistles like Portland fans do. Let's face it.....Portland fans attend athletic events because they look forward to post-game partying in the Old Port.
 
I love the interior design features, color schemes and all of the state of the art additions for the student athletes. It may be the most intimate venue in college sports to actually experience a hockey game which is a huge positive. (y)
 
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Portlander said:
I love the interior design features, color schemes and all of the state of the art additions for the student athletes. It may be the most intimate venue in college sports to actually experience a hockey game which is a positive. (y)
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At a little over 5,000 seats Alfond is in the middle of the Hockey East pack.....

UMass - 8,329
BC - 7,884
UNH - 6,501
UMass-Lowell - 6,496
BU - 6,224
Maine - 5,043
Northeastern - 4,666
Vermont - 4,003
Providence - 3,030
UConn - 2,600
Merrimack - 2,549

Many college facilities are moving toward less seats and more amenities as there is more money to be made from "upselling" club level seats and the perks that go with them rather than sheer volume of admissions. Club seats at Alfond are 2K each and they are sold-out. Along with a comfy cushioned seat with cupholder and great views.....you get a buffet meal before every game and unlimited alcohol (!).....and preferred parking along with a special entrance and restrooms.
 
Wasn't sure where to place this but an interesting news release yesterday by the University of Maine.....

University of Maine System to study feasibility of establishing state’s first public medical school - University of Maine System

ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine System (UMS) will partner with the nation’s leading medical education consultant to study the feasibility of starting the state’s first public medical school. In response to a critical shortage of physicians in rural Maine and with the support of the Maine...
www.maine.edu www.maine.edu

A medical school at UMaine in Orono would be incredible. There will be a lot of voices that say it should be in Portland but I believe that Orono/Bangor would be the perfect spot to educate new doctors and hopefully improve the quality and availability of rural healthcare in Maine.

I see UMaine as the science and research university and USM as the arts and law university.
 
mainejeff said:
Wasn't sure where to place this but an interesting news release yesterday by the University of Maine.....

University of Maine System to study feasibility of establishing state’s first public medical school - University of Maine System

ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine System (UMS) will partner with the nation’s leading medical education consultant to study the feasibility of starting the state’s first public medical school. In response to a critical shortage of physicians in rural Maine and with the support of the Maine...
www.maine.edu www.maine.edu

A medical school at UMaine in Orono would be incredible. There will be a lot of voices that say it should be in Portland but I believe that Orono/Bangor would be the perfect spot to educate new doctors and hopefully improve the quality and availability of rural healthcare in Maine.

I see UMaine as the science and research university and USM as the arts and law university.
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I'm not sure that Portland needs two med schools (UNE COM moving to the Westbrook College campus next year... I need to take a new photo.) Orono / Bangor with partnership with EMMC is a much better choice.
 
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