The Cyclone football team wrapped up its regular season this weekend at Jack Trice Stadium, and now the Athletic Department can prioritize a wish list of improvements for the 26-year-old stadium.

While the stadium is still safe for Cyclone and visiting gridiron fans, athletic department officials said the facility’s stairs, concession stands and restrooms top the list.

“The stadium is in pretty good shape, especially for a facility of its age,” said university architect Dean Morton. “There are some things, such as the outlying toilet areas, that just haven’t lasted.”

However, Frank Randall, assistant athletic director of operations, said some maintenance is necessary for safety and aesthetic reasons.

Other priority areas, he said, include handicapped seating and the concrete wall separating the stands from the field. Many of these areas were built in 1975 when the stadium opened, Morton said.

“We could easily spend $2 million on the things that need to be done down there,” he said. “Probably more.”

The Athletic Department, which funds the stadium maintenance, receives almost no state money from the university for repair, Morton said.

“Typically, the projects we do down there are from gift funds and private donors,” he said. “It’s hard to raise money for maintenance projects.”

Athletics Director Bruce Van De Velde, who is charged with prioritizing the renovation wish list, stressed that deferred maintenance comes in second to planning for the operation budget.

“I think the priority right now is for us to focus on our operating budget,” he said. “With the budget cuts and with the tuition increase, we have to make sure we have planned for those things as well.”

Morton said it is hard to say the Athletic Department should put all of its resources into improving a facility that is used only six or seven times a year.

“I can understand why this can’t be their highest priority,” he said. “If it’s weighing in between having a successful program or not, I think they’ll do that rather than replacing stairs.”

While budget considerations play a major role in the Athletic Department’s decisions, the list of future stadium renovations continues to grow. Planning for a new scoreboard is in the early stages, and the Board of Regents gave the green light to begin planning for a $5 million parking project at the stadium.

“The grassy area on the east side will be filled in with more parking lots,” Morton said, adding 442 additional parking spots.

The university’s parking plan, funded by parking and event revenue, includes repaving four lots, tripling the size of the lot east of the Jacobson Building and extending Stadium Drive from South 16th Street to South 4th Street, paralleling Elwood Drive.