UCF Officials Apologize For Water Problems, Will Offer Free Bottles Next Game
About 60 People Treated For Heat-Related Issues
About 60 people were treated at the game for heat-related issues during the Knight's loss to the Texas Longhorns 35-32 on Saturday.Fans complained that when the water ran out, there were no drinking fountains on the property."We underestimated the need for water," UCF representative Al Harms said. "We, in fact, did not have adequate numbers of distribution stations and we did not have enough bottles of water."The $55 million stadium was constructed using 2001 building codes that do not require water fountains.During a news conference on the issue Monday, university officials pointed out that the project was completed on time and within budget."That is a pretty remarkable thing in this day and age," Harms said. "Granted, it did not have water fountains and some people will say you took a short cut. I don't choose to view it that way."Officials denied that water fountains were left off blueprints so they could sell bottled water.However, other than relief at first-aid stations, UCF has no plans to give away the $3 bottles of water, Local 6 reported."Part of the stadium, of course, is the concession and frankly, water is a big chunk of it," Harms said. "So, my sense is that we will not be offering free water."However, officials said the school will give every ticket holder a free a bottle of water at the next game.UCF officials also said they plan to have three times the amount of water for sale at the stadium in upcoming weeks."We are committed to fixing this and we are not going to put our fans through that type of situation again," Harms said. "We truly aren't."UCF officials told WKMG-TV that they are looking at the cost of possibly installing drinking fountains in the stadium in the future.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
- September 17, 2007: Fans Suffer Heat Exhaustion At New Stadium Without Water Fountains







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