HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail - Mail Packet - 8/22/2017 - Email From Gary Ozzello Re: Inaugural Season At The New Csu On-Campus Stadium1
Sarah Kane
From: Ozzello,Gary <Gary.Ozzello@ColoState.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2017 3:54 PM
To: Sarah Kane
Subject: Staff and Council
I wanted to share this with Council, Darin, Jeff, Kelly, Amanda, etc.
Gary
Dear Council Members & City Staff:
As you know, Colorado State University will launch its inaugural season at the new on-campus stadium in just a few days
when the Rams host Oregon State. The Aug. 26 game will mark the first time the Rams have played on CSU’s main
campus in 50 years, and we are proud to bring them and our alumni back home for game day. With a 12:30 p.m. kickoff
time, it also will be the first contest of the 2017 collegiate football season. With the event being televised to a national
audience on CBS Sports Network, a lot of attention will be on CSU and Fort Collins.
As we ready to launch the stadium and in the build-up of excitement that surrounds the first game, we want to reiterate
a point Joe Parker and others at CSU repeatedly have made about the stadium. Though certainly the primary focus of
the moment is the countdown to kickoff, the stadium never was intended to be solely about football or athletics. We
have said the stadium would be built to serve multiple needs including as a community gathering space, and that has
proven true even before the first game. More than 100 events have been booked at the stadium, everything from high
school proms to company retreats. And leading community organizations like United Way and Poudre School District
already have hosted meetings at the stadium, seeing the facility as something more than football and something
positive to be a part of.
If you have tickets to attend the Aug. 26 game – now sold-out – we look forward to seeing you there to cheer on the
Rams. If you aren’t attending the first game, we would like to encourage you to visit campus on game day anyway,
witness the energy and enjoy the pre-game programmed events. Bringing the stadium into the heart of Fort Collins
allows for a uniquely CSU and Fort Collins experience for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. As we bring the
stadium back to Fort Collins making it easier and more desirable to bike to games, featuring New Belgium and
celebrating our craft brew heritage, and continuing to make music part of the game day experience as it was at Hughes,
we are able to celebrate the city’s rich culture of beer, bikes and bands and fully integrate the on-campus stadium with
that cultural identity. CSU (and now the stadium) lives within a vibrant and active community, and we are proud the
game day experience will reflect that.
I’ve attached some maps that CSU has created and been using to educate our campus and Fort Collins communities
about game day operations and how to get to campus by foot, bike or car, and where and where not to park. We have
an 8-page insert coming out in the Coloradoan on Friday, Aug. 25 on game day operations and we also have mailed a
“Who to Call” postcard (also attached) to neighborhoods surrounding campus. The postcard provides residents and
business owners with a list of non-emergency numbers to call and online resources to access regarding game day issues,
questions or feedback they might have. This allows us to continue our outreach that we established through numerous
neighborhood meetings and open houses regarding the planning of game day operations.
We approach game day with great enthusiasm and gratitude for the support we have received from City of Fort Collins
staff and leadership. The collaboration among City and CSU staff has been extraordinary and we feel fortunate to have
worked with such talented and thoughtful Fort Collins’ traffic, parking and Neighborhood Services teams. We recognize
that best-laid plans can sometimes go awry, but we are prepared to learn, listen, and make changes where the need
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arises. City and CSU staff have formed a joint “Game Day Season I” check-in group so that we can continue to share
information about what we are hearing and seeing, and to stay on top of issues as they might evolve.
Sincerely, Gary
Gary Ozzello
Director, Community Outreach & Engagement
Colorado State University
310A Administration
Fort Collins, CO 80523
970-222-3361
Gary.Ozzello@colostate.edu
ColoState.edu