So I'm a little confused, because this doesn't look like the renderings. I thought there was going to be goal line seating, and now there's field goals? What's going on here? Isn't looking much like a soccer field
10174

There will be goal line seating, they just haven't started on that yet. I had a meeting with them this week and they will be working on Taft up until the week of it looks like. They have a lot to do in a short amount of time but it will be complete by April 18th (1st home game).

So I'm a little confused, because this doesn't look like the renderings. I thought there was going to be goal line seating, and now there's field goals? What's going on here? Isn't looking much like a soccer field
10174

Remember, first and foremost, this is a high school football/track stadium. Soccer is secondary here.

As long as it's actually treated that way. The alumni association rarely lets Northwest Classen use Hudson Performance Hall for school activities. What was the point?

Renovations to Oklahoma City?s Taft Stadium underway | KFOR.com (http://kfor.com/2015/03/27/renovations-to-oklahoma-citys-taft-stadium-underway/)

I'll sure be glad when they asphalt/concrete the front parking lot. There's been a ton of red dirt blowing everywhere, and it seems like I always wind up driving past there right after I wash my car.

The Energy play their first home game on April 18th, so I'm sure they'll have everything pretty wrapped up by then.

wow, that's a lot to do still though... (how it looks from the street anyway)

My understanding is the general contractor has until midsummer to complete the project but is working to make it game ready by April.

They were supposed to be finished early this year; this project is months behind schedule.

They were supposed to be finished early this year; this project is months behind schedule.

Could be. Could be GC has extentions to the original timeline for weather, design issues, owner directed changes and so on.

I just looked back at the original timeline that was presented to OKPS and it called for a December 2013 (!) completion date.

Worse case, they were supposed to be done before football season this past year.

Not trying to blame the contractor, just pointing out how wildly off schedule this project has gone.

Yep. Sometimes it's the contractor and sometimes it's lot of stuff. I know the press box won't be complete, was redesigned at some point, probably after that 2013 date.

For instance:

Dated January 2, 2014.

In March 2013, MA+ Architecture was granted a variance to construct the press box for
Taft Stadium at a height of 45'-0", which matched the height of the existing press box.
The professional soccer group that is contracted to lease Taft Stadium has requested a
few changes to the original design, including changing the rise and run of the new
bleachers to create sight lines more consistent to professional sports. These sight line
changes raised the height of the back aisle of the bleachers, which in turn affected the
sight lines from within the press box. The new press box height is now 49'-6" tall.

http://www.okc.gov/agendapub/cache/2/i0voqcayr5fvdszbxpbo3f45/215217203312015111830299.PDF

It probably should have read the new press box design is now 49'-6" tall. I don't think they had done any actual work on it yet on that date.

First rule of project management: Double your estimated timeline, come in on time or possibly early and look like a hero.

In the news today related to the Taft:




As recently as Friday afternoon, Brian Kelly expressed confidence his semi-pro football team would be playing its home games at newly renovated C.B. Speegle Stadium beginning next month.

Monday night, that confidence turned to disappointment for Kelly, the coach of the OKC Bounty Hunters, after the Oklahoma City district school board voted 7-1 against leasing the facility to the team for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

“I didn't see this coming,” Kelly said.

Board members approved the recommendation of Superintendent Rob Neu, who said having the Bounty Hunters occupy Speegle on the campus of Capitol Hill High School would delay the completion of the stadium in time for the start of the fall sports season.

“They have a place to play, that they've been playing at,” Neu said, “and we can enter into an agreement with a completed stadium next fall.”

The renovation at Speegle is nearly complete; only the stadium's northside bleachers remain under construction, according to Keith Sinor, the district's athletic director.

“MAPS is concerned. Their concern is the issues that we've had at Taft (Stadium) with the delays there, with trying to get a tenant in during the course of construction,” Sinor said, referring to the Oklahoma City Energy FC, a professional soccer team that is scheduled to play its first home game at Taft on April 18.

“Their concern is that the same thing will be going on at Speegle. I think they're just trying to keep all distractions out from the project there.”

Oklahoma City school board blocks semi-pro football team from playing games at Speegle Stadium | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-school-board-blocks-semi-pro-football-team-from-playing-games-at-speegle-stadium/article/5408034)

Saw that article in this morning's Oklahoman. All the more need for the city to get its own soccer & American football stadium built on the riverfront; not sure if the Bounty Hunters could afford the rent or lease though.

Not sure what level of professional football the Bounty Hunters would provide. There could be more leagues planned for the semi-pro level like an NFL2. Doubt seriously if the NFL would need a development league since the colleges & universities provide them with the same.

Anyway, OKC could use a facility for soccer, American football and large gatherings. Some of the soccer franchises now play in baseball stadiums which have temporary configurations for soccer and football with terrible sight lines.

We don't need any more public funded sports facilities. It sounds like the schools will lease it to them when the project is complete. That's good. They can earn the revenue and get more use out of facilities we already own. It also sounds like they might have learned something on the Taft project.

Someone needs to get a pic of the west side stands. It looks really cool with all the green chair backs with a huge OKC spelled out in white. You can see parts of it through the openings when you drive by.

Here you go:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/taft040815.jpg

I believe there is a pic in the Energy thread.

they had all the lights on last night with a multi-colored search light going. Me and my partner decided to stop and take a look. we pulled into the south lot and someone had pulled up on the south end of the field so we pulled there as well ( all paved parking an no gate or fence we were still behind the perimeter fence ).. as we got out a rent-a-cop with an attitude started coming our way from the east side yelling.. GET OUT OF HERE.. GET IN YOUR CAR AND LEAVE.. THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.. GET OUT.. He was a bit wound up and serious for someone garding a soccer field. You would have thought we touched the mona lisa or something.. so we drove off..

Bullbear, were you and your partner decked out in your gang colors or something? Brandishing your weapons? Giving the guy the evil eye? :Smiley122

I noticed yesterday they're in the process of paving the parking lot that fronts May. Was going to try to take a picture to post here, but I might not want to deal with Mr. Rent-A-Cop. I'd hate to get tasered or something.

LOL. yes we were looking like trouble for sure! the thing was he just kept going off even as we were complying with his request.. I let him know he didn't have to be a Jerk ( I might not have used the work jerk) that we were going and no need to be so rude.

People like that are clearly over-compensating for a lack of--something--in their lives...

If you look at the renderings there seems to be, what looks like, open air luxury stands. I saw them installing them this morning. What they ACTUALLY look like are self-contained, hermetically sealed alien escape pods. Sorry i couldn't get a picture.

are you talking about the field level seating pods? I'm wondering if they have the same type glass shield that you commonly see over soccer team benches at stadiums

i wish I could have taken a picture of them. No, it's not like a soccer bench shield, though. They are separate, totally enclosed mini trailers(?)

are you talking about the field level seating pods? I'm wondering if they have the same type glass shield that you commonly see over soccer team benches at stadiums

u normally don't see those in America . Only game I can think of is when USA plays Mexico, Mexican fans have been known to urinate in baggies and throw them at the US players.

In this area?
10624

The press box is still not close to being finished. And the parking lot will probably be a mudbath by game time. What happened that they got SO behind?

They are doing asphalt work on the parking lot right now. Probably trying to get it done before the rain hits this week.

Also what happened with the;
Press Box?
Scoreboard?
Sound System?
Also, were there any plans to decorate the INSIDE portion of the rock wall, under the east stands?
Are there POS systems that will going in in the concessions stands? It took FOREVER to get anything

Also what happened with the;
Press Box?
Scoreboard?
Sound System?
Also, were there any plans to decorate the INSIDE portion of the rock wall, under the east stands?
Are there POS systems that will going in in the concessions stands? It took FOREVER to get anything

Sounds like opening day didn't go well?

They are doing asphalt work on the parking lot right now. Probably trying to get it done before the rain hits this week.

I went by yesterday afternoon and they were almost finished.

Opening day went fine, but yeah it's not 100% complete. Don't listen to that guy, he attended the game in the jersey of the opponent because apparently Bob Funk Jr. gave him a wedgie or something in school.

I will absolutely agree 100% on the POS systems, getting some of those installed and programmed would be huge. We had some lady writing down order dollar amounts per item by hand, and then using a calculator to add up. Not all were doing that, most could enter item by item on the calculator, but Lord this woman was not meant to be running that station Saturday.

Photos from the MA+ Architects FB page:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10957750_10153008482473551_840601850833110530_n.jp g?oh=2f9ca86d21bf14692044a8fdfafff293&oe=55D29786&__gda__=1440482518_d41245490ae68aeca218eb7fbe289ff 0

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11149311_10153008482468551_8579275607276844800_n.j pg?oh=748442d049b62e559a65663dba9db3f0&oe=55DEDE43&__gda__=1436079142_18ba4dd1732efaabd992d4e9c7bedee 3

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11159497_10153008482418551_62799046228294463_n.jpg ?oh=0cceda9ede5f1893e4be5d3136dfaf7d&oe=55D7C700&__gda__=1440053641_545e79de6bb18c85488024664396b7e 9

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/11150183_10153008482608551_3680171227020460175_n.j pg?oh=6d97fbc994ce80ef5b5e0fe2c4ef108b&oe=5597DDFE&__gda__=1440584778_a0a82ea4497d19405a6c93b72cbab8a d

Opening day went fine, but yeah it's not 100% complete. Don't listen to that guy, he attended the game in the jersey of the opponent because apparently Bob Funk Jr. gave him a wedgie or something in school.

I will absolutely agree 100% on the POS systems, getting some of those installed and programmed would be huge. We had some lady writing down order dollar amounts per item by hand, and then using a calculator to add up. Not all were doing that, most could enter item by item on the calculator, but Lord this woman was not meant to be running that station Saturday.

Hey at least I gave him money out of my pocket. That's something I haven't done for the Barons in 3yrs. Maybe I'll go to one of their games next next.... Oh yeah, that's right

I know the stadium still needs lots of finishing touches, but I have to say this is looking pretty darn cool.

I've always loved the way the field is slightly recessed and I really like how the concession areas are kind of raised up in the corners.

They just need a bar or two within walking distance and then you'd really have a great setting.

A POS and a bar.....um guys remember this is first and foremost a high school stadium. When was the last time you saw a point of sale at a high school football stadium? Concessions are one of those weird things that they had to figure out with the district. Do you remove all food items between high school and Energy events? Does the high school have to track what they sell so they get revenue back from Energy? There are a lot of pieces to that side that people keep forgetting because (like my fear the whole time) people are starting to think of Taft as the Energy's stadium, and not OCPS.

I really didn't get the impression that this was a school-ran concession setup. Everyone had on Energy shirts. There was even a "chef" with an energy green chef jacket on, delivering food. Can someone else confirm this? I would believe that the energy are running concessions, and pulling down a good percentage of the money for them?
One of my friends that came with me couldn't understand how they could block off the high school parking lot as VIP parking. I guess it's the whole OCPS/Energy thing. I had no problem with that.
And another friend didn't believe me when i told him that in the fall they would be painting football lines on the field.
"WHY?!?", he asked?
"Uhmm, because the stadium is owned by OCPS, and NOT the energy?...."
"Seriously?!?"

A POS and a bar.....um guys remember this is first and foremost a high school stadium. When was the last time you saw a point of sale at a high school football stadium? Concessions are one of those weird things that they had to figure out with the district. Do you remove all food items between high school and Energy events? Does the high school have to track what they sell so they get revenue back from Energy? There are a lot of pieces to that side that people keep forgetting because (like my fear the whole time) people are starting to think of Taft as the Energy's stadium, and not OCPS.

Obviously its a bad idea to have an onsite bar, but I don't see how installing a POS is going to hurt High School games. Hmm, lets see here: share a nice stadium with a soccer team and have it well maintain for several years or not share a stadium that people overlook and have it turn to crap in just a few short years. I know which option I would pick.

Figuring out how to distribute revenue from food sales is not that hard of a problem to solve.

I was looking at some of the other teams stadiums, do you think if it became more popular and every game was sold out this season that they would add more seating? Some teams in the USL don't have a nice arena...at all...so i'm not complaining.

Some arena's are twice the size of ours, some and twice as small

If they sell out every home game or even come close, I think they'll start looking to build their own stadium down by the river sooner rather than later.

That is in their plans but I'm sure they want to build up a few years of success before they undertake that sort of expense.

They have done an absolutely phenomenal job of marketing, so I bet they continue to sell lots of tickets.

!!!Insane!!! I had know idea that was their plan

Agree with Pete. And the Energy has been clear that Taft is a waypoint, as long as things do well.

As for concessions, it's not as easy as it seems. Since this is the first thing that will happen there after the re-opening, it's easy. But later is where it gets tricky. There are lot more pieces to this than you probably realize, and having formerly been a percussion instructor with a HS band, Ive got first-hand knowledge on the complexities of concessions with multiple groups. For us, it was coordinating the supplies/duties/funds with both middle schools that used the same concession stands for their games as the high schools did. Not to mention soccer since we didn't run their stands (track didn't use one from what I remember).

First off is the drinks. Who pays for the fountain? They can run up to 5k for a year's contract on those things just to have one put in. Coke provided cups when we used them, with Pepsi it was cheaper to use their fridges and get bottles because of their fountain charges.

Then there's the whole issue with sharing profit and non-profit supplies because you're mixing a pro team and high school groups (whoever runs the stand). Non-profits usually go off to Sams and sell out of those large boxes. You won't find a for-profit doing that (not for individual sale and all).

A POS would actually make it a LOT easier to track all this, but those are far more expensive than you probably realize. You've got about $1,500 per touch unit at least (for a cheap one), plus they all have to connect to a central server somewhere and that software has a license and maintenance fee with it. You're looking at thousands of dollars each year in that. All of that kind of stuff comes directly out of the profit bucket and the profit bucket on concessions isn't just amazing because there's a limit on what people are willing to pay.

You really have to have a separate price structure for the HS vs. the Energy as well. The Energy can bring/force $2.50 for a 20oz water, but a HS game at Taft is NOT going to be able to push that price. That complicates the profit sharing even more. It's just one of those things I'm fearful of with having the Energy there. If the Energy or the district invest in all this stuff for now, what's the agreement look like when the Energy leaves? Whether they split the hardware/software or what, the district would be left with it later as a new expense or they have to abandon the whole thing and go back to pads/calculators.

so forget the POS units (did they have them at BM last year, can't remember), but for the love, put people in the position of taking orders who are quick with math. If that lady handwriting everything down is there next week it's a total failure (obviously exaggerating, but it was that bad)

My thoughts too. First game, they just moved in. Things will probably change over time, or not. Being a bit behind in construction, they probably don't have a LAN setup between the buildings yet either, if they ever do.

I drove by Taft yesterday and they have the front parking lot paved with asphalt.
10684

I heard that at an OKC Energy season ticket holder meeting it was mentioned that this would be the last season at Taft. Can anyone corroborate?

(They're looking for a place to put a temporary [but nice] pop-up stadium until something can be built.)

Apologies if it's been posted somewhere, did some cursory searching and didn't see it.

I heard that at an OKC Energy season ticket holder meeting it was mentioned that this would be the last season at Taft. Can anyone corroborate?

(They're looking for a place to put a temporary [but nice] pop-up stadium until something can be built.)

Apologies if it's been posted somewhere, did some cursory searching and didn't see it.

Nothing is official yet, but reading between the lines of the press release (https://www.energyfc.com/news_article/show/918256) that was issued when they brought in a new senior advisor last month, I would be fairly surprised if they were still in Taft after this season. As mentioned in your post, I think the most likely outcome for next season is building a pop-up stadium similar to the one that Phoenix's USL team currently plays in.

There's been some additional discussion about this in the Wheeler Park thread recently.

I'd be interested in hearing opinions from everyone about potential pop-up stadium locations. To me, the only two that would really make sense are the Fairgrounds and Chisholm Creek. I just don't think that the Wheeler Park area has enough room, but I may be missing something. There may also be another area with enough room that I haven't thought of yet.

Funny, Chisholm Creek was one of my first thoughts as well. I hate it, but it was a first thought.

Here's another.... AICCM has tons of space currently.... and city owned, right?

I'd have to go with The Fairgrounds south of the tracks. Are there any suitable spreads of land in near S. OKC?

Funny, Chisholm Creek was one of my first thoughts as well. I hate it, but it was a first thought.

Here's another.... AICCM has tons of space currently.... and city owned, right?

Yeah, I'm fairly close to Taft so I'll be pretty disappointed if they move all the way up to Chisholm Creek for next season, but if they do decide to go with the pop-up stadium option, it would not surprise me if they put it there to try and draw in the Edmond/NW OKC/Deer Creek money.

The AICCM area is an interesting option that I hadn't considered. Another one I just thought of is the American Fidelity complex on the east side of Broadway Extension between Wilshire and Britton. Not sure how much of that land is still unspoken for, though.

If they move all the way up to Chisholm Creek, then they will lose me. I'm not driving that far. And i can't imagine i would be the only one. Who wants to drive from EOC/Moore/Norman/etc all the way up there for a non-MLS game? If the stadium doesn't stay somewhere near the CBD, it's a real major lost opportunity. All of those options north of I-44 have the same issue. The more you go in one direction, the more you're going to lose people from the opposite direction.

The massive parking lot between Myriad Gardens and the new Scissortail park is almost the exact same size as the current Taft stadium block. Ideally I would love to see another stadium downtown, especially close to our parks, new developments, and the street car. I would certainly buy season tickets if they moved closer to downtown.

What are the reasons they want to move away from Taft before a permanent stadium is built? I'm out of the loop. I understand its shortcoming but it seems like a fine solution until a soccer specific permanent stadium is built.

how has attendance been this year?

seems like to me and the people i follow on social media, the buzz seems over.

I don't think it much matters where they play if they can't put a better product on the field.

They will need lots of public help to pull off a new stadium and their ownership credibility has taken a bit hit.

They play a 17 game regular season home schedule. Seems like quite an investment in potential disruption of a city park as well as a sizeable commitment of tax payer revenue to justify for a team that is minor league. Most nights there is no local coverage on the sports segment of the local news. I think a study needs to be done by an independent entity( not the CC or Funk) to determine how much interest there is and whether that interest translates to the cost. Maybe Funk should partner with one of the Native American nations to see it happen.

What are the reasons they want to move away from Taft before a permanent stadium is built? I'm out of the loop. I understand its shortcoming but it seems like a fine solution until a soccer specific permanent stadium is built.

They're getting pressure from the league is my understanding. They have an exemption to be playing in a high school stadium and are the last ones left doing so in the whole league. I'm sure the 2020 soccer-specific thing comes into play a bit as well.