A previously-commissioned study for a new Temple University football stadium is on hold, raising some questions about the controversial plan.
Temple has discussed the possibility of building a new on-campus stadium for the Temple Owls, who are currently playing their games at Lincoln Financial Field. University officials have cited several advantages that a new stadium could offer, including increased savings and revenue along with a location that is more accessible to the rest of the school.
The plan, however, has been met with significant backlash from some students and nearby residents. Opposition to the stadium plan has been consistent since it was first unveiled, and a group known as Stadium Stompers staged protest against a the proposal last Wednesday.
University officials, along with representatives from Moody Nolan, said that the study on the stadium has been placed on hold, and did not offer specifics as to if or when it will be resumed. More from The Temple News:
The feasibility study, for which the university had budgeted $1.25 million, was supposed to examine possible designs of a stadium as well as its impact on traffic and the environment.
A representative from the Ohio-based architecture firm Moody Nolan, which began the study nearly 11 months ago, said it is “on hold,” meaning that all data collection has ceased. The university said through a spokesperson on Monday that it is still continuing its “community outreach efforts.”
“Temple continues its careful efforts to consider the future of a university stadium,” the spokesperson said. “That decision will be made by what is best for the university and the North Philadelphia community.”
Dozie Ibeh, the associate vice president of Temple’s Project Delivery Group, said in August that he was working with Moody Nolan on the study and the results would be finished within a few months. On Monday, when approached by a reporter, Ibeh said he hadn’t worked on the stadium “for months,” adding that his department was no longer involved in the study.
The Owls have played at Lincoln Financial Field since 2003. As the AP reported last September, the university’s rent at the facility is expected to triple to $3 million annually starting in 2018.
Image used under Creative Commons license via flickr.com.
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