Northwestern University plans to add temporary bleachers that can seat up to 15,000 people to the existing lakefront field on the north end of campus to host football games during the construction of Ryan Field.
Representatives from the city of Northwestern presented plans for the temporary venue to the Northwestern City Commission on Wednesday.Nuu first announced the plan As stated in the April 10th press release, a slightly more expanded image was presented at the conference.
Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, which currently primarily supports lacrosse and soccer, will have temporary bleachers installed on the north, south and west sides. This design features views of the lake and moves sound away from the city.
Field conversion work will begin this summer. The university does not anticipate any impact on other sports.
“Structurally and logistically, we are confident that this can be achieved,” said Luke Figora, NU’s chief operating officer. “Many remaining details need to be finalized.”
More Q's than As's
The committee and audience members asked questions and voiced concerns about questions that remain unanswered, including who will get tickets, where they will park, when the games will be held and how much noise will be generated. .
“Our intent is to reserve thousands of tickets for student groups based on demand,” said Denny Barracato, associate director of athletics. Tickets will also be available for bands and season ticket holders.
Figora said the school is still working on logistics, but hopes to use two on-campus parking lots and continue to use existing shuttles from other parking lots. City Manager Luke Stowe said based on the number of parking spaces Northwestern already has available, the venue will not require further council approval.
Dave Davis, NU's executive director of neighborhood relations, said he hopes the temporary venue will provide support for downtown businesses. “We have an opportunity here to work closely with these business owners to push parking and people into downtown Evanston,” he said. “We don’t have to try to get everyone to park on campus.”
Northwestern has not yet announced its football schedule for this season, but representatives acknowledged that night games may be included. Meeting attendees asked how much authority the athletics department had regarding this possibility.
“Our conference and television broadcasts determine when the games will be played. We usually know seven to 12 days in advance,” Barakat said. Although you may submit a request for a match time, ultimately we cannot guarantee that all matches will be played during those days.
The venue already has lighting and a PA system facing the lake for the events it regularly supports. Northwestern plans to evaluate whether additional equipment is needed for broadcasting.
Truck to Ryan Field
As Ryan Field enters the final stages of demolition. Increased number of trucks to transport excavated materialsNU reported. Northwestern representatives at the meeting also raised concerns about these trucks.
“As we know, this is a massive project, so there will be trucks,” Davis said. “If any of your trucks are violating local city ordinances, you should report them immediately.”
Residents can report violating trucks to authorities using the city's direct 311 contact line. Reasons for removal include speeding, not properly securing loads, and not driving on approved routes.
“The main issue is not so much speeding,” said First Ward councilor Claire Kelly. “It's the intensity, the volume, the noise, the dust, the vibrations.”
Figora said he will coordinate with the field to provide a more specific timeline for when truck traffic will be high.
“This is obviously going to have a huge impact on our streets,” Kelly said. “We hope to be able to work with Northwestern on the cost of road maintenance and cleaning.”
The city also meets with Northwestern and the construction team every Wednesday to provide updates and concerns.
“We found them [Northwestern] We need to be able to respond quickly to any issues that arise,” Stowe said. “We are doing everything in our power to address these issues.”
