The State Senate approved the South Dakota State University football stadium bill. This allows the Board of Regents and the South Dakota Building Authority to help design and finance the new football stadium on campus.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits have called Coughlin Alumni Stadium home for the past 50 years but complaints about the facility have started to surface. This bill helps SDSU update the facility with new seating, concourses, a press box, club seats and an updated field are included in this stadium revamp. Republican State Senator Larry Tidemann says this keeps SDSU competitive with surrounding states and their colleges.
"This will be an outdoor stadium, but it will be able to seat 19,000 folks. I think the turf is going to be a special soybean type product, so it won’t be grass. With both the college and high school playing on that field, it takes a lot of wear and tear," State Senator Tidemann says.
Tidemann says keeping facilities state of the art also helps with recruiting. He says venues like this can encourage high school students to stay in state for college rather than go elsewhere. The Senate approved Senate Bill 15 unanimously. It goes to the house next.
