Iowa still finalizing Kinnick renovation plans

IOWA CITY - Nearly 10 months after receiving Regents permission to plan for a Kinnick Stadium renovation, Iowa Athletics Department officials have yet to shift from the design phase to construction.

'We're in the planning process. We're not yet ready to start the construction,” Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta told The Gazette. 'We're still in the process of designing it. At some point then it's pulling the trigger and getting construction started. We're not there yet.”

Iowa officials plan to reconstruct Kinnick Stadium's north end zone bleachers at cost between $35 million and $45 million. The north end zone has tight seating quarters in an area that had not been renovated since the early 1980s. Design plans are wide open with 'probably 50 different possibilities,” Barta said.

There will be premium seating, but the ratio of suites, indoor/outdoor club seating and possible patio areas to bleachers remains under discussion.

'There's certainly going to be the bench seat that we've always had,” Barta said. 'There are going to some different kind of combinations of club areas. Different levels of cost, so there's something for everybody in the new north end zone.

'What drives it the most is we need to update restrooms and the concession stands. I think most people realize in today's world the premium seating options are something that people are attracted to. So we're trying to have a level that would fit multiple different budgets, not just the highest end suite or the higher end club, but also some things that are attractive that are a price point below that.”

Iowa's capacity may fall with the renovation. Currently, Kinnick Stadium's capacity is listed at 70,585. With a 17 percent drop in season ticket sales, Iowa ranked 24th in average attendance last year at 63,142. If the stadium remains at full capacity, Iowa would rank 21st nationally. Kinnick Stadium ranks seventh in size among Big Ten schools.

'It's going to depend on how many premium suites we have and how that all shakes out,” Barta said. 'What I want to do is make sure with whatever concept we come up with, it's still going to be close to the field like it is now, and that we'll still be in the top 25 in attendance. But it may be slightly above or slightly below 70,000 depending on how the final design works out.”

Barta added that he doesn't have a set date for when he plans to take the project back to Regents for final approval. Donations and athletics department proceeds will pay for the project.

'I want to make sure we say when we're ready, we're ready,” Barta said. 'We're just not ready to announce anything yet.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com