by John Zelezny
A legion of fund-raising volunteers for the proposed Save Mart
Center are determined to raise the money for a facility that will
rival the new event center at Ohio State University, regarded
as the nation's best collegiate event center.
The Schottenstein Center at Ohio State opened in November as the new home of Buckeye basketball and hockey, and it has been heavily booked for concerts and other events, including Luciano Pavarotti, Bill Cosby and the Rolling Stones. With original projections at $75 million, successful fund raising allowed Ohio State to construct a larger and more versatile facility that cost more than $100 million.
Fresno businessmen Ed Kashian and Bob Duncan, co-chairs of the fund raising campaign for the Save Mart Center, believe the same can be accomplished for Fresno State and Central California. They have set a minimum fund raising goal of $103 million.
Kashian said, "At the urging of the co-chairs and other key volunteer fund raisers, the bar was raised to reflect not just an adequate facility, but rather a world class standard. The university has since hired the necessary consultants to design such a facility for the benefit of the entire Central California region. Now it's up to our fund raising volunteers to get us there."
Fresno State Event Center Coordinator Debbie Astone said that, as a result of consultation with many groups, the current plan includes not only athletic facilities but a number of academic areas, such as a high-tech, 300-seat classroom; a media production center for television, computer graphics and photography; a business incubator that will house 25 start-up businesses; the university's Entrepreneurial Studies program; and the Institute for Family Business. Astone said these facilities will serve the Central California region as well as meet important academic needs.
"Our conceptual design reflects all the program elements that our constituent groups want in the facility," Astone said. "And we have been advised that if we build it all, the cost will be comparable to Ohio State's. We can't talk about exact costs, however, until we bring a contractor on board, and that selection process will occur in the next few months," she said.
The concept design for the Save Mart Center was produced by the same architectural firm that designed the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State - Sink Combs Dethlefs of Denver.
About $46.5 million has been raised to date, including a 20-year sponsorship commitment from Pepsi and Save Mart worth about $40 million. Astone said the Pepsi and Save Mart sponsorship will provide the funds "to secure a bond and help with initial operating costs. But now we need the down payment in order to begin construction."
The responsibility for raising that money will rest primarily with a volunteer fund drive co-chaired by Kashian and Duncan. They have assembled four fund-raising teams of volunteers: John Ledbetter of Lodi, owner of Vino Farms, heads a North Valley team with a goal of $2 million. Craig Saladino, chairman of the Saladino's Inc. food company, heads a Central Valley team with a goal of $30 million. Eric Shannon, a partner in S-K Ranch of Visalia, chairs a South Valley team with a goal of $4 million. A national team, headed by former Congressman Tony Coelho, with Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante serving as the honorary chairman, has a goal of $47 million. A campaign to lease private suites has a goal of $6.75 million, and the personal seat license campaign has a goal of $13.5 million.
The CSU Board of Trustees is expected to approve the financing plan in the fall of 1999. University officials then hope to break ground for the Save Mart Center early in 2000. The estimated construction period is two years from groundbreaking.
Astone said a draft environmental impact report for the project will be available this month.
A public hearing on the draft EIR will be scheduled for late March or April. Astone expects the draft EIR to conclude that increased traffic will constitute the primary area of concern.
The university expects to raise more than 10 percent of the construction cost through the sale of personal seat licenses. The licenses will go on sale in the fall and will cost between $500 and $3,000 for a 10-year right to purchase season tickets to a specified seat.
Fresno State has been successful with seat licenses in the past. For example, seat-licenses generated about $5.8 million to build Bulldog Stadium in 1981 and $7.7 million to expand the stadium in 1991.
About 2,000 are being set aside for student seating. A number of seats also have been set aside for persons making significant contributions to the project.
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