WSSU trying to tweak its Stadium lease

AD Hayes, trying to trim costs, talks of purchasing Bowman Gray

There was much to celebrate in 2006 when the city-owned Bowman Gray Stadium began to build a state-of-the art field house that included two football practice fields.

Winston-Salem State University, the main tenants of the nearly 21,000 square foot complex, signed a 30-year lease then to begin paying off $3.3 million to the city. Most of the athletics department offices are in the field house, along with a weight room and a training room for the football team. However, the lease amount doesn't include the weekly rent that WSSU pays to play its home football games.

Bill Hayes, the athletics director since January, is talking with city officials to try to reduce the expenses for using the stadium on game days.

According to Bucky Dame, the director of Joel Coliseum and Bowman Gray Stadium, the rent for each game will be $3,785, plus operating expenses.

In 2006 the rent for each game was about $400 less, but Dame said that the gradual increase is because expenses are higher.

WSSU, which will play four home games at Bowman Gray Stadium this season, also pays operating expenses for each game. Dame said that those operating expenses vary depending on the size of the expected crowd and other factors.

When WSSU decided to leave the CIAA four years ago to begin transition to NCAA Division I, it decided to start charging for parking and tailgating at Bowman Gray Stadium. Dame said that the agreement, which is still in place, is that the city and WSSU split the revenue for parking.

The city receives all the revenue from concessions, according to Dame.



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