Meeting Minutes from Tuesday, July 10 - MMRPC

Department expects large numbers (as many as 10,000) of SEC fans traveling to Missouri in RVs
for athletic events, especially football games in the fall.
A two-phase plan will begin with projects totaling $102 million, $30 million of which will come
from a private gift pledged by the Kansas City Sports Trust. The remaining $72 million will be paid
for by revenue from premium stadium seating.
The MU Board of Curators recently approved the first phase of the plan. The touch-down terrace
area on Faurot Field will be updated for the 2012 season. Projects slated for Memorial Stadium and
Faurot Field before the 2013 season will be the west side press box renovation, with premium
seating added in that facility; the north concourse will be renovated; and the “Rock M” and berm
will be moved closer to the end zone. There will be an east side addition to the stadium for the 2015
season that will create another 1,200 premium seats. An upper deck on the east side will also be
constructed, for an additional 5,000-6,000 seats that will increase the stadium capacity to 75,000.
The second phase is to be completed within the next eight to ten years and could increase seating to
as much as 80,000. There will be only 15-20 parking spaces lost in the due to additions. MU
actually offers more adjacent stadium parking than most other SEC campuses. Planned upgrades to
MU athletic facilities will allow for additional events and opportunities, such as hosting future
track, tennis and softball championships.
Amy Schnieder reported that the Columbia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) will setup a
web page to assist out of town fans and provide information on surrounding communities, shuttle
transportation, hotels and RV parks. Communities can send their area information to be added to
this site. CVB will partner with Jefferson City and the Lake area for expected overflow crowds.
Kristi Ray, Columbia Chamber of Commerce, reported the calls they are receiving are from visiting
fans traveling to Columbia ahead of game day, looking for information on local activities, area
restaurants and hotels. The Columbia Chamber is putting together a Certified Tourism Ambassador
Program that will have local Ambassadors out in the community to assist the visiting fans. One of
the key groups participating in this training program is the Columbia Police Department. Ms. Ray
would like to see MU fans, and the community, to extend hospitality to visiting SEC fans during
their stay. Their goal is to have out-of-town fans wanting to return to visit our community during
the off season as well. Ms. Ray also noted that Delta Airlines will increase the number of flights
from Columbia, to Atlanta, as needed, to accommodate Georgia fans during sporting events.
The Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the Columbia CVB commissioned a group of graduate
students at MU to analyze the economic impact of the athletic department on the City of Columbia.
The results of that study will be released this fall.
3. Mid-MO RPC Report
Chad Eggen, Mid-MO RPC, reported that the RPC will hold an orientation on Wednesday, July 18,
at their office in Ashland. This will be an informal setting and anyone interested in learning about
the RPC and what services they provide to communities is welcome. A flyer with detailed
information was included in the agenda packet.
2 | P a g e