Extreme Athletic Facility Makeover, Staring Missouri Western State University and The Kansas City Chiefs

Hello and thank you for taking the time to discover my blog. The latest reality show for those living in St. Joseph, MO and attending classes on the campus of Missouri Western State University (MWSU) is the one unfolding before their own eyes. Starting in 2010 The Kansas City Chiefs will call MWSU home for their official pre-season training camp location. This change, like many others recently for the Chiefs, comes after the Chiefs have called River Falls, WI home for their pre-season training camp since 1991.

The upgrading of athletic facilities is a tremendous opportunity for MWSU. Several upgrades have already been completed thanks to the revenue from a self imposed surcharge per credit hour students placed upon themselves a short time ago known as the Max Experience. The Chiefs contribution of $10 million to jump start the process of bringing their training camp to MWSU has taken the Max Experience into hyper-drive compared to the slower, more methodical approach that was taking place. This version of extreme makeover will obviously take more than one week unlike the popular television show many of us have come to know and love does for deserving families.

This blog hopes to ask several questions about the Chiefs/MWSU training camp marriage. Such as: Where will the additional funding come from to finance the $10 million in tax credit bonds coming from the Chiefs that are already reported to be over $2 million? This cost is in addition to the $3 million MWSU is required to bring to the table in order to get the facilities in place by August of 2010. Much speculation and several rumors are floating around about the selling of naming rights for the new facilities, fundraisers, Max Experience funds, etc.

Other questions this blog plans to answer include: Why did it take the Chiefs arrival to finally get a big new parking lot for MWSU students. This new parking lot (coming soon) has been overdue for years? Will MWSU catering policies be reformed for the Chiefs because they might possibly want to use a service for their personnel that they are more familiar with? Will the new indoor practice facility possibly be open and available for youth football events, intramural flag football, other MWSU sports teams or various other activities when the Chiefs and football Griffons are not using it?

As a twenty-year Chiefs season ticket holder I am happy about the Chiefs coming to my hometown of St. Joseph. As a member of the MWSU community I want to know that this union is truly going to benefit future MWSU students and student athletes the most not to mention the St. Joseph community. I invite those interested in the influence that the Chiefs will possibly have on MWSU to share their ideas with me anytime. Your ideas could turn into entries for this blog.

You can contact James Richmond via e-mail at jrichmond1@missouriwestern.edu