The University administration’s decision to shelve plans to build a new basketball arena is drawing different reactions on campus and in the wider community.
University President Dave Frohnmayer announced Feb. 11 that the new basketball arena project had been postponed indefinitely. Frohnmayer said a review of the scope, complexity and financing of the project revealed the University could not move ahead with its plans, according to an Emerald article published Feb. 12.
The new arena was set to be built on Howe Field, next to McArthur Court. However, plans hit a snag earlier this year when projected costs of the complex rose to $180 million from the original $90 to $130 million estimate. Private donor funds would have covered the arena’s initial price tag, but the excess cost meant the University had to find
additional means of funding.
After the president’s announcement, Athletics Director Bill Moos said Men’s Basketball Coach Ernie Kent was disappointed by the postponement, but he did not expect it to negatively affect recruitment efforts.

Junior Marc Weiss said the administration made the right choice to halt the project because it doesn’t have the funds to do it.
“They should hold off,” he said. “Besides, Mac Court’s cool.”
Student Tim Ranger had similar sentiments.
“I didn’t think it was worth it at this stage of the game,” Ranger said, adding that the University is facing many financial challenges, such as budget cuts. He said the project might be more feasible down the line.
While he is a sports fan, Ranger said it did not seem prudent to build a grand stadium just for prestige.
He said there were many other
programs of campus that should also be supported with donor funding, such as the Art Museum.
“They look at sports as being the only thing that can enhance prestige of the school and that’s sad,” he said.
Associate geography Professor Andrew Marcus agreed, saying he believes the University’s current fiscal condition makes the project’s delay a wise decision. As the administration considers the next steps, he said it might be a challenge to scale down the project.
“It would be very difficult to get private funding for a smaller project,” he said.
Carole Daly, the director of Annual Giving and Special Projects in the Office of Development, said it was important to evaluate the viability of the project and ask questions about funding.
“I think it wouldn’t be a wise idea until we know where our funding is going to come from,” she said.
Community members also applauded Frohnmayer’s resolve.
Peg Peters, chairwoman of the South University Neighborhood Association, said Frohnmayer made a wise choice especially in light of general economic conditions.
“I have a lot of admiration for him to take a look at the bigger picture and decide not to proceed until all the pieces are in place,” she said.
She said all is not lost and perhaps there are possibilities the University could still acquire additional donor funding for the arena.
Members of the neighborhood association had concerns with the decision to construct the arena at Howe Field and as the University re-evaluates the project, Peters hopes the administration will continue to take these concerns into consideration.
“We didn’t feel things had been thought through carefully regarding traffic and congestion,” Peters said. She said the area is already very busy during basketball games just with Mac Court, which has a capacity of 9,738. The new arena would contain about 15,000 seats.
“It gives us time to rethink and reflect on the process and what the goals might be,” she said.
Jeff Nelson, the co-Chairman of the Fairmount Neighborhood association has similar sentiments. He said the University never really gave many details about traffic flow and parking. However, he said he was happy with how the University involved the neighborhoods in getting input and feedback on the project.
“I hope that picks up again as the project moves to the future,” Nelson said.
Still, some hope the administration will also reconsider the site completely in the interim.
Classics Associate Professor Malcom Wilson, who lives in the neighborhood, said some neighbors are opposed to siting of the arena at Howe Field because of traffic.
“We hope they’ll think that Autzen is a better site,” he said.