Aurora Complex should bring big changes to MSU-N football and the community

Congrats to Montana State University-Northern.

As the Havre Daily News reported earlier this week, $25 million in funding from House Bill 5 for the Aurora Complex at Northern has been approved. And I just have to say, I'm so pumped for the school and for Havre.

I have followed the construction of the Lights' football stadium since the beginning. I sat in on early meetings about the project and the Aurora Complex was always in the initial drawings. Of course, the stadium itself finally came to life, and it has been an awesome addition to Northern's campus, and of course, to the MSU-N football program. I was so excited for MSU-N to gets its on-campus stadium. It was a long, long time coming and as an alumn, and a huge sports guy, I couldn't have been prouder of Northern and everybody who helped get the stadium from a dream to what it is today.

Having said that, I admit, I didn't know if I'd ever see the next phase. In looking at the rendersings, in knowing the price tag associated with it, it just seemed like it would be so far into the future, if ever that the project could happen.

That all changed on Monday, however.

With the funding coming from the state of Montana, it's the absolute best-case scenario for the project, for the campus, for the school and for the city of Havre.

"This is the game changer," Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel said. "Of all the initiatives this is the one that will have the most impact."

A game changer indeed. When the project comes to fruition, when the complex is completed, whatever it ends up entailing will benefit everyone on campus and beyond. It will certainly be huge for the football program, and it will end up being huge for athletics, but it will go way beyond sports at Northern. This type of facility will make a major difference on campus, and off.

It will help recruit and retain new students. It will benefit the students already matriculating at Northern, and long-term, it will have a profound impact on Havre.

How do I know all this? It's easy. I follow college athletics, and colleges in general. When you build new facilities, they have a positive impact on the campus and the community.

And this project will be no different.

If everything goes according to plan, the Aurora Complex will be exactly what Kegel said it would be - a game changer.

So congrats, Northern, and here's to a very, very bright future!