Upgrading is far more complicated than you think. It is a simple case of if it ain't broke don't fix it. I am with the admin on this one.

Look how much stuff has been lost to the ash heap over upgrades of the several other rocket sites over the years. In each case I offered to host a archive mirror before the upgrade and I was declined or ignored, or in some cases harassed. However, after all these years, there it would be sitting. Searchable and stable. The offer stands if any dead backups exist.