POCATELLO — The cost of using Holt Arena has forced School District 25 to once again look at other options for the three city high school football teams.
Athletic directors at all three high schools in Pocatello have said that it costs about $2,000 per game because Idaho State University (which runs Holt Arena) charges rental, cleaning, security and ticket fees. ISU runs its own concessions and keeps all revenue from that as well.
If it’s not a rivalry game, like the Black and Blue Bowl between Pocatello and Highland, a school does not see much in the way of revenue. Renting Holt as a venue for games leaves little money for high schools in the city to fund their athletic programs.
“I’m frustrated,” said Century Athletic Director Steve Anderson. “We’re supposed to make money to fund other sports with football, and we just aren’t.”
“That’s with having to pay more than any place in the state to watch a game,” Highland Athletic Director Travis Bell said of the price of admission. “We’re losing a lot of money that we should be able to bring into our school. Others, like in Idaho Falls, are making about $10,000 a game.”
In the past, School District 25 has considered building a stadium of its own that all three teams could share for football and possibly soccer. Options include installing turf, stands, a press box and lights at Hawthorne Middle School.
That option is once again a possibility as athletic directors recently have been meeting to discuss the current state of high school football in Pocatello.
“(Hawthorne) was brought up two years ago, then kind of dropped,” Bell said. “But we’re pushing for it again.”
“If (the school district) doesn’t spend a little, how are we going to move forward,” Anderson said. “(Holt Arena) is not a long-term solution.”
Anderson says a stadium at Hawthorne would cost roughly $650,000. While the up-front expense may be a tough pill to swallow, after a few years of using all the money from concessions and tickets to pay it off, schools can once again establish a balanced athletic budget.
If not, the struggles to fund their sports will continue.
“It’s just not reasonable to continue doing business the way we’re doing business,” Anderson said.
(6) comments
Our high school football games were played on the high school football field. There was no additional cost to 'rent' an arena to play in because the schools had a field. Our high schools have fields, so why do we need to rent an arena? Waste of money.
D25 scare tactics at its best. Get ready for a levy vote!
I agree with you Joker and most of what you said Maggie.. It's about the kids! They love Holt, so make it happen!!
BSU kicked the Boise schools out of Bronco Stadium for football games. One of the reasons was because the games only filled a fraction of the stadium, yet the expenses to operate the stadium were close to the same as when the Broncos were playing. There was still wear and tear of the turf, massive electrical bills for the lights, staff and concession employee wages...
Boise State owns Dona Larsen Park, and has allowed the Boise School District to play football games there. BSU leases the park/field to them for $80,000 a year, if I'm not mistaken. I'm betting the Poky schools, in total, are still getting a better deal.
The problem is ISU UNDERcharged for the facility for years, especially as compared to similar schools in the region. I'll bet none of the schools ever thought, "Gee, ISU is really shooting themselves in the foot for charging so little - we'll donate a portion of our profits to them, so they can use it to help maintain and improve the dome.
I think it really sad when the potential of a place like
Holt Arena is ignored. The community does not back Holt
or ISU. What is going happen in four or five years when
Kramer's plans materialize and ISU makes the play-offs.
They will not be able to seat 25,000 fans or even make roon for the visitors. What is going to happen to events on the High School level like the Rocky Mountain Rumble.
Holt Arena is a gift to not only Pocatello but all of Southeast Idaho.
High School athletics should find ways to use it more, not less.
Holt Arena elevates the community to a higher level of involvement and community enjoyment.
And even if they scraped together the intial investment there is also the cost of upkeep.
The comparison to idaho falls is illiogical. it is an area with over three times the population. The community should support the expansion of Holt in every way they can. The detractors only hurt the future of Pocatello athletics in the short and the long run.
These idiots make me laugh.. $650K? Times that by AT LEAST 3 to be able to build a field plus stands, plus lights, plus a field house. Oh wait, where does everyone park? Get a clue! Pocatello is unique in that Holt is the only option and should be cuz the kids love it, and that's what's important. High school isn't college! Not a ton of money to make, so suck it up and pay the fee to play at holt, which is a great high school venue!
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