I spent several years expressing my disappointment with the Bright Complex and its interior decor. After having visited facilities at Cal, LSU, OU, TCU, SMU, t.u., etc. I was disappointed with the "ambiance" (or finish-out) inside the Bright Complex.
The building itself is great and the physical equipment inside is top-notch, but the building was "plain" and looked relatively generic.
I thought that such a great facility deserved better in terms of "dress." I had visited programs with facilities that looked and felt as if they were steeped in tradition and history. All I knew was that A&M had as much history as these other programs but that we were not displaying it (or, we weren't displaying it in the same way).
I had mentioned this several times on the forums of TexAgs.com, but was only met with resistance. Most posters said that I was "complaining, just to complain" or that the Bright Building looked "good enough!"
Well, I am not one to simply complain, and looking "good enough" is not good enough for A&M. However, today I finally got a chance to read the most recent issue of the 12th Man Magazine (Dec. 2010 Vol. 15, Issue 19). On page 27, there is an article by Rusty Burson that reads as follows:
"During the design and construction phases of the $27 million Bright Football Complex in the early 2000s, virtually every penny that was raised for the facility was directed toward bricks-and-mortar infrastructure and operational necessities. As construction costs continued to rise and budget numbers were crunched--as they typically do--finish-out projects and interior decor were often eliminated or postponed until later. More than seven years since the facility first opened prior to the 2003 football season, now is "later."
It is good to know that someone on the inside of the program agrees with me. However, it is disappointing that it took this long to finish the building.
[P.S. - In the title I used the word "up-grading." While the article says that they are just now finally getting to the point where they can decorate the building due to budget concerns, I can't help but wonder if this is nothing more than a way to dress-up a seven year old facility that is no longer brand new.
Remember, we opened the building at the same time Coach Fran took over and we were hoping that both the building and the new coach would carry us forward into the 21st Century.
However, that didn't happen as Fran didn't quite work out and by the time he was gone, the Birght Building was no longer a new facility. It is almost as if we lost our momentum/edge that the building was suppose to give us by not winning on the field during the Fran era.
Well, it is now the Sherman era and it would really help Coach Sherman out if he had a brand new building like Fran did. I wonder if this is nothing more than an attempt to give him the next best thing: "An Up-graded Facility."
Either way, I am just glad they are doing it.]