Saddledome Renovation Ideas

[Conroy4Mayor]

Let's face it, the Calgary Next proposal fell flat and is unlikely to proceed any time soon. My best guess is that it will not happen for at least a couple of mayoral terms from now when Nenshi retires (he's too smart to fall for Ken King's trickery).

So if you believe like I do that a replacement arena is at least 15 years from becoming a reality, I think short and medium-term renovations to the Saddledome should be back under consideration. Not just ones that generate more revenue for Flames ownership like last time, but also ones that make for a better fan experience!

My suggestion is that each renovation idea be it's own post. That way, we can use the newly reinstated 'Thanks' feature to vote for the good ones.

[JiriHrdina]

They've already renovated once. What more can they do?
They need a new arena. The current plans may not fly - but that doesn't mean a new arena isn't still required.

[Conroy4Mayor]

Flat panel monitors in the Press Level. Those projection screens are terrible.

[MrMastodonFarm]

You can't renovate concrete all that much.

[sureLoss]

They already seem to have the funds for a new arena.

The $200 million they are willing to put up and the $250 million they claim they can finance with a user pay model (i.e. Ticket Tax). That is close to a NHL rink right there.

Where the whole thing falls apart is trying to add the football stadium onto the project.

[CaptainYooh]

You can renovate anything you want, including concrete. The problem is time: where would the team play during renovations, which could take up to 2 years? That's why renovation option is likely a non-starter.

[Yoho]

Porta potties around the outside walkways of the building.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

They already seem to have the funds for a new arena.

The $200 million they are willing to put up and the $250 million they claim they can finance with a user pay model (i.e. Ticket Tax).

Where the whole thing falls apart is trying to add the football stadium onto the project.

And the stadium almost is needed more than the arena - at least from the fan POV. McMahon is a dump.

[Conroy4Mayor]

A catwalk parallel to the washrooms in the Press Level so that fans could mingle, and wait for their buddies to use the facilities. Everyone stands in the walkway, which is 4 feet wide at best, so it takes 20 bloody minutes to clear out the Press Level after the game.

[jayswin]

Renovate it to a pile of rubble and then renovate it to a new hockey arena. Flames play out of the Corral for two years.

[Conroy4Mayor]

Get rid of the Dodge trucks in the concourse.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

They already seem to have the funds for a new arena.

The $200 million they are willing to put up and the $250 million they claim they can finance with a user pay model (i.e. Ticket Tax). That is close to a NHL rink right there.

Where the whole thing falls apart is trying to add the football stadium onto the project.

Also the fact that the arena is a small fraction of the cost of the project, lets not forget that little detail.

They do need a new arena as opposed to renovation. I don't think the Dome is capable of being renovated to be modern.

[getbak]

There's not really anything that can be done without making significant structural changes to the building that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

If people don't want hundreds of millions of tax dollars going into building a new arena, what kind of reaction are they going to have to paying that kind of money on renovating the existing building (which is owned by the city)?

The Flames certainly aren't going to throw good money after bad.

[Ducay]

Dump the roof and press catwalk and put in a fabic roof so the PL seats actually have a decent fan experience and view.

Doesn't make much financial sense; but apart from adding or moving a few rows or suites like they did in 1994 (which doesn't help much with the terrible concourse) there isn't much left that can be done with the Dome.

[Conroy4Mayor]

Take out the top five rows in the press level. Replace them with party suites like at the corners of the 200 levels. The view would still suck, but they could be used for kids birthday or company parties, and people would be having such a good time with their friends, they'd be less likely to notice the lack of oxygen.

[Conroy4Mayor]

Replace the round safety bars below Row 1 in the Press Level with angled ones like in the 200's. Fans could then see over the bar without having to lean forward. And it would be too uncomfortable for bored women to put their elbows on the bar (a pet peeve of mine).

[Conroy4Mayor]

Replace the canopy above the second level suites and Saddleroom Restaurant with another Power Ring. The effects with the lights off (especially the red during the intro) is awesome.

[Bunk]

Create a couple extensions on the building from the concourse level that are simply space for a couple hundred more toilets.

[Conroy4Mayor]

Originally Posted by Yoho

Porta potties around the outside walkways of the building.

You could actually do a lot better than that in my opinion. You could put decent Atco trailers right up against one of the big overhead doors. The washrooms would be enclosed and tolerable.

[The Yen Man]

Barring a natural disaster like the flood a few years ago, I think significant renovations to the Saddledome are even more unlikely to ever happen vs building a new arena TBQH.