A Denver firm that worked on the Pepsi Center, Sports Authority Field at Mile High and Dick's Sporting Goods Park stadium projects will help study the feasibility of building an on-campus football stadium at Colorado State University.
ICON Venue Group was hired Thursday to serve as a consultant to CSU's Stadium Advisory Committee ? formed in January ? on issues such as design, funding, site analysis and engaging the public and university stakeholders about the stadium idea.
The firm was selected through a competitive process and will be paid with private dollars. ICON's fee is being negotiated, said CSU spokesman Kyle Henley.
ICON, in the past 14 years, has been project manager for nine new arenas ? in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Phoenix and Denver. The firm has produced and delivered venues for franchises in every professional sports league totaling more than $4 billion, CSU said.
ICON should have no problem handling the controversy surrounding the notion of replacing Hughes Stadium, a rustic arena on the outskirts of Fort Collins, with an on-campus venue, Henley said.
"I think their record speaks for itself," he said.
"ICON has deep experience overseeing complex stadium projects, including landmark venues in Colorado," said Amy Parsons, vice president for university operations and co-chairwoman of the advisory committee. "And their input and counsel will be invaluable as we examine whether to move ahead with a new stadium at Colorado State."
CSU officials have said that putting a stadium in the middle of the Fort Collins campus would boost the university's profile and attract more recruits and donors. CSU president Tony Frank also issued guidelines to be met if the stadium project is to move forward.
They include not putting a stadium on existing green space or in a spot that would block the view of the mountains. No state funds, tuition, fees or taxes will be used as funding sources for the stadium, Frank said.
But the proposal has critics, who say CSU should be spending its time and efforts improving the academic environment and not the football team.
"They don't consider that for a program to be consistently in the Top 20 in football, they'll be spending more money on it than what the university will get from out-of-state students," said Bob Vangermeersch, leader of Save Our Stadium, Hughes.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907, mwhaley@denverpost.com
Meet the managers
ICON's management team will be introduced at the next meeting of the Stadium Advisory Committee, 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fort Collins Hilton, 425 W. Prospect Road.
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