RFQ Engineering-Richardson Stadium Expansion Services

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2023/08/15/charlotte-49ers-college-football-biff-poggi.html Aug 15, 2023 Everything is new for the Charlotte 49ers' football team this season. Biff Poggi is the new head coach, taking over after serving as the right-hand man for Michigan's Jim Harbaugh during the Wolverines' recent resurgence as national title contenders. Also new is the school's conference. The Niners finished an eight-year run in Conference USA in 2022-23, and now are part of the American Athletic Conference. The move means better competition and larger football programs, including South Florida, SMU, Tulane and in-state rivals East Carolina. Charlotte -- in sports, UNC Charlotte drops the UNC from its name -- finished 3-9 last season and has a cumulative record of 39-74 in 10 seasons of football. Will Healy was fired with four games left in the season after a 1-7 start. And, as Poggi noted today during media day at Jerry Richardson Stadium, new players account for half the roster. Now, as Poggi said several times today, it's up to the coaches and players to figure out how to start winning games. Mike Hill, the school's athletic director, told CBJ today that hiring Poggi is part of an overall larger investment in football. The football budget this year increased 14% to $11.4 million, Hill said, including new coaches and other additions. "We've made a significant commitment to football," he said. "We've got to invest in the program. You've got recruiting, you've got operations, you've got coaches, you have all sorts of expenses that come into play." Hill said that fans need to remember that the 49ers are a 10-year-old program trying to compete with schools that have had football for 75 years to 100 years. All that ground can't be made up in a year or two. Poggi dismissed the notion of facilities holding back the program. "I know a lot of coaches are all caught up in facilities," Poggi said. "Mike (Hill) will tell you; I don't think I've ever asked for one thing facility-wise. Because the stadium can't play, the football building doesn't tackle or block. It's really all about players. And the facilities are really nice." gallery imageexpand New Charlotte 49ers football coach Biff Poggi is pictured with UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon Gaber and Athletic Director Mike Hill. SAM ROBERTS/FREEZE FRAME All this serves as a backdrop to Charlotte's campaign to raise $100 million for new and expanded athletic venues, including an $81.3 million, two-phase upgrade to the football stadium that will double capacity to 30,680 while adding loge boxes, suites, club seats and an outdoor terrace. The fundraising campaign began in 2022. Hill told CBJ that the school has made steady progress since but did not disclose any specific fundraising totals or a timeline for starting football stadium expansion. This season the school will add the Niner Club, a 200-person section being built on an elevated platform on the stadium's east side, behind the student section. Hill described the club area as "an intermediate step" to provide premium seating until the larger renovation. There are 175 seats and 25 standing-room spots with shaded areas. Niner Club Sideexpand The Niner Club at Jerry Richardson Stadium, seen here in a rendering, is under construction and will open next month. COURTESY OF CHARLOTTE 49ERS Poggi said today that he's encouraged by what he's heard from business and civic leaders and their willingness to provide support. But, he added, unless and until the 49ers become a consistent winner, it will be difficult to tap into potential corporate donations and attention. "They've got to always be in fundraising mode," Steve Hall, principal at Signature Sports Marketing, told CBJ. Hall's firm works extensively in college sports and served as Charlotte's sponsorship and media consultant from 1998 to 2014. "Because who knows what next year, or two years, or three years, is going to look like." Hall was referring to near-constant changes in college sports in recent years, including the dissolution of the Pac-12 conference this summer and conference hopping among brand-name schools including Texas, Oklahoma, USC and UCLA, among many others. Those shifting alliances inevitably trickle down throughout college sports, explaining, in part, how and why the 49ers are joining the AAC this season. Hall added that Poggi's brash persona -- he scolded reporters last month in Texas at the conference media gathering for showing little interest in the team -- is much needed. "You've got to do something to stand out," Hall said. "That's great. Get the attention of people." Hill, entering his sixth year as athletic director, has enjoyed success with many of Charlotte's sports teams, but not in the two that garner the most attention and account for virtually all the revenue: football and men's basketball. In addition to the football struggles outlined above, the men's basketball team spent much of the past 20 years as also-rans. Last season, a glimmer of hope surfaced when the 49ers won the lower-tier College Basketball Invitational to finish with 22 wins -- their highest victory total since 2000-01. In June, men's basketball coach Ron Sanchez resigned after five seasons to return to Virginia as an assistant head coach, upending the program again. __________________________________________ The project is for advance planning for the expansion and renovation of Jerry Richardson Stadium. The project will encompass a phased expansion of Jerry Richardson Stadium to include the addition of a four-story tower on the west side of the venue, as well as seating growth on both the east and west sides of the stadium. The tower would include large plaza and mezzanine donor/team spaces, as well as a dedicated suite level and a game operations level, to include coaches' boxes, working media, TV and radio spaces, as well as separate Chancellor and Athletic Director's suites. Seating would expand on both sides of the stadium, increasing capacity from just over 15,300 to over 30,600, effectively doubling the capacity of the venue. Current authority is for advance planning only. The selected firm may be retained through full design and construction at the university's option. Project Budget $56,000,000

Division 01 -	General Requirements.
Division 03 -	Concrete.
Division 04 -	Masonry.
Division 05 -	Metals.
Division 06 -	Wood, Plastics, and Composites.
Division 07 -	Thermal and Moisture Protection.
Division 08 -	Openings.
Division 09 -	Finishes.
Division 10 -	Specialties.
Division 11 -	Equipment.
Division 13 -	Special Construction.
Division 21 -	Fire Suppression.
Division 22 -	Plumbing.
Division 23 -	Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC).
Division 25 -	Integrated Automation.
Division 26 -	Electrical.
Division 27 -	Communications.
Division 31 -	Earthwork.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements.
Division 33 -	Utilities.
Division 34 -	Transportation.
Division 35 -	Waterway and Marine Construction.