re: SEZ Construction Update: 12-11

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yeah i know. they should have included a 3rd level of suites on the east side so they could match this shite up. i swear they did ZERO master planning - just piecemeal this whole thing.

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I worked on both projects and can tell you the upper decks are symmetrical in design. One side has a press box, one doesn't. There are many reasons why a third suite level was not built:

- Cost: Approx 10-15 million extra
- Capacity: Would have taken thousands of seats away from the upper deck
- Designed in 1999: At the time, this project was already extremely ambitious. There were no suites in the stadium, so building 2 club levels put tremendous pressure on TAF to fill them. Remember, there was no Nick Saban/Les Miles when this upper deck was designed. No recent SEC Championships or National Championships upon completion. There were no guarantees these suites would be renewed if there were to be consecutive losing seasons. A third level was not only out of the budget but very risky.

Yes one side has an extra level, but most stadiums have a press box on one side. We can complain about many things (PVC, architectural design of west upper, scoreboards etc), but they did plan this one out. It looks good and will be even better once the south is complete.