OT: $60 Million Texas High School Football Stadium

[LoboKnight]

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/07/...ium/?hpt=hp_t3
When residents decided the previous 14-000-seat stadium wasn’t large enough, they approved plans for the new facility in 2009, NBC DFW reports. The Allen Eagles’ new home contains 18,000 seats, a 75-by-45 foot HD video scoreboard, a weight room and sunken-bowl design. The press room and private boxes rival those of college stadiums. It’s quite an upgrade from the old facility — one that didn’t even have built-in bathrooms.

That puts some college stadiums to shame.

[russ1979]

Like ours?

[GiJoeRay]

Like every stadium in the State. What is the proposed cost of the new APS westside complex?

[Roob]

Like every stadium in the State. What is the proposed cost of the new APS westside complex?

I don't know the cost, but I hear it's a beautiful facility. It may not have a 75' x 45' scoreboard, but it will seat 7,000 and it will be the best high school stadium in the state.

[LoboDogg]

I drove by that thing in March when the outside was just getting finished up... It is absolutely beautiful. So crazy to see a school district put that much $ into football.

[RustyTX]

http://www.texasbob.com/stadium/stadium.php?id=1292
http://www.texasbob.com/stadium/regi...x.php?Region=4

Yeah...H.S. football is huge here in Texas....but it goes beyond football. Athletics as a whole is huge. I live in The Woodlands just outside of Houston and the swimming complex is as nice as University of Texas' complete with 10m platforms and wseparate warmup pool.

[TheLoboMan]

The reason these schools in Texas can do this kind of thing is because of the tax revenue structure. Each School district get's to keep its share of tax revenue generated in it's district. They have tons of money to spend on these things.

In New Mexico the school districts have to pool their tax revenues into one fund then have it distributed state wide equally. APS could have some really nice facilities and middle school football if they could keep their tax revenues. Just think of the facilities in SE New Mexico and what they could really be like if they didn't have to share their money.

[primordial]

The reason these schools in Texas can do this kind of thing is because of the tax revenue structure. Each School district get's to keep its share of tax revenue generated in it's district. They have tons of money to spend on these things.

In New Mexico the school districts have to pool their tax revenues into one fund then have it distributed state wide equally. APS could have some really nice facilities and middle school football if they could keep their tax revenues. Just think of the facilities in SE New Mexico and what they could really be like if they didn't have to share their money.

That sounds good in theory... But we have to remember that NM is a very POOR state in many different ways (income, land values, home values, corporate tax outsourcing, unpredictable oil/gas revenues, etc) which means there isn't much to go around even if certain areas did get to keep a larger amount of their own tax revenues. Whenever anyone talks about fully funding education the way it should be funded here - everyone squawks at the dollars they will have to pay to help others have a good childhood (both academically and athletically). Sure, APS (and other districts) would do marginally better in theory... but do we really want students in other school districts be at an even greater disadvantage than they are already in?!