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Jamie Pollard has a new title: “Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics.” Clown U is still facing a $147 Million budget deficit through 2031

83Hawk

83Hawk

All-Conference
Jan 1, 2023
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paednoch23 said:
Regarding Clowntown

This project has all the markings of a classic boondoggle. A hotel anchored to a college football stadium sounds appealing on paper, but the underlying economics just don’t support it. Outside of six or seven home Saturdays a year, demand will fall off a cliff. That’s not a sustainable occupancy model, it’s wishful thinking.

Ames is not a destination market. There’s no major medical center driving steady patient traffic, no tourism draw, and no consistent business travel base to fill rooms during the week. The proposed site is also disconnected from the city’s primary commercial areas and downtown, which further limits organic foot traffic

The retail and dining components face the same structural problem: not enough daily demand. Students leave for the summer, weekends are inconsistent outside of football season, and there’s no surrounding population density to support year-round business. What you’re left with is a development that spikes a handful of times per year and sits largely dormant the rest.

Unless there’s a clear, realistic plan to generate sustained traffic 12 months a year, this risks becoming an expensive, underutilized complex, one that looks busy on game days and empty the other 350 days of the year.
Click to expand...
I can’t understand how that idea ever got off the ground to begin with, for all the reasons you listed (nice write up, by the way). Heck, common sense alone should tell you this is doomed to fail.
 
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rchawk

rchawk

All-American
Oct 27, 2001
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83Hawk said:
I can’t understand how that idea ever got off the ground to begin with, for all the reasons you listed (nice write up, by the way). Heck, common sense alone should tell you this is doomed to fail.
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Nice, a hotel for clown football fans to stay in for six or seven weekends a year.

Never mind that most of them live in central Iowa. They may not want to pay for the Clown Hilton when they can be home in three hours or less.

The Board of Regents approved this?
 
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Old_wrestling_fan2

All-Conference
Mar 2, 2009
571
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paednoch23 said:
Regarding Clowntown

This project has all the markings of a classic boondoggle. A hotel anchored to a college football stadium sounds appealing on paper, but the underlying economics just don’t support it. Outside of six or seven home Saturdays a year, demand will fall off a cliff. That’s not a sustainable occupancy model, it’s wishful thinking.

Ames is not a destination market. There’s no major medical center driving steady patient traffic, no tourism draw, and no consistent business travel base to fill rooms during the week. The proposed site is also disconnected from the city’s primary commercial areas and downtown, which further limits organic foot traffic

The retail and dining components face the same structural problem: not enough daily demand. Students leave for the summer, weekends are inconsistent outside of football season, and there’s no surrounding population density to support year-round business. What you’re left with is a development that spikes a handful of times per year and sits largely dormant the rest.

Unless there’s a clear, realistic plan to generate sustained traffic 12 months a year, this risks becoming an expensive, underutilized complex, one that looks busy on game days and empty the other 350 days of the year.
Click to expand...
Sheesh, what a terrible idea...for all of the reasons listed. This idiotic idea should not get even ONE DOLLAR of public funding.

Can't people just stay at Honey Creek and take a shuttle? I hear they have plenty of capacity. 😄

Mebbe they should build it and then hire the ICCSD Superintendent to run it...you know, to ensure success. What a bunch of maroons.
 
R

rams32

Junior
Mar 15, 2005
91
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paednoch23 said:
Regarding Clowntown

This project has all the markings of a classic boondoggle. A hotel anchored to a college football stadium sounds appealing on paper, but the underlying economics just don’t support it. Outside of six or seven home Saturdays a year, demand will fall off a cliff. That’s not a sustainable occupancy model, it’s wishful thinking.

Ames is not a destination market. There’s no major medical center driving steady patient traffic, no tourism draw, and no consistent business travel base to fill rooms during the week. The proposed site is also disconnected from the city’s primary commercial areas and downtown, which further limits organic foot traffic

The retail and dining components face the same structural problem: not enough daily demand. Students leave for the summer, weekends are inconsistent outside of football season, and there’s no surrounding population density to support year-round business. What you’re left with is a development that spikes a handful of times per year and sits largely dormant the rest.

Unless there’s a clear, realistic plan to generate sustained traffic 12 months a year, this risks becoming an expensive, underutilized complex, one that looks busy on game days and empty the other 350 days of the year.
Click to expand...
I generally agree with you but Jack Trice has been hosting 2-3 concerts a year. Plus the boys state basketball tournament is moving there. Hilton also host a handful of high school graduation s. But yeah, generally agree.
 
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WeBeHerkin

All-Conference
Aug 5, 2016
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They should put in a hangover treatment center in that clown town. As a college kid I would have frequented something like that the day after.
 
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