Eastern Michigan Athletics
Ground-Breaking Held for New Multi-Purpose Air-Supported Facility
10/20/2009 12:24:51 PM | General, E-Gridiron Group
The new facility is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The official ground-breaking for Eastern Michigan University's new multi-purpose indoor practice facility was held Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the building site of the facility, on the lower outdoor football grass practice field at the corner of Huron River Drive and Westview Drive. The new air-supported structure will provide collegiate athletic teams and the Ypsilanti community with more opportunities to continue playing and practicing despite inclement weather.
“The Board and the University are working hard to enhance the physical infrastructure of EMU,” said Roy Wilbanks, chair of EMU's Board of Regents. “Student life was improved with the new student center; the new science complex and Pray Harrold are part of the crucial focus on academics; the new police station emphasized safety and security, and now this facility will help athletics. That's more than $175 million dollars toward physical improvements on just those projects.”
The new multi-purpose facility, which will cost $3.9 million, will be located near the corner of Huron River Drive and Westview Drive, near the northeast corner of Rynearson Stadium.
The facility will be a permanent air-supported structure that is 410 feet long, 210 feet wide, and 75 feet tall and will include a welcome center (1,000 square feet) and convertible space (86,000 square feet) that can be configured for a football field, an international soccer field or four youth soccer fields.
“We want to provide our student-athletes with as many competitive advantages as possible,” said EMU Director of Athletics Dr. Derrick Gragg. “This facility will potentially benefit all of our student-athletes, particularly football, women's soccer, baseball, softball and men's and women's golf.”
“This facility gives a significant boost to women's athletics at Eastern Michigan University,” said Scott Hall, head coach for the EMU women's soccer team. “It gives us a chance to train year round and recruit against anyone in the state. However, this building will be bigger than just a practice facility and recruiting tool; it will bring in potential students from all over Metro Detroit and the Midwest and create additional exposure for the University as a whole.”
Gragg said details are still being worked out, but the new facility will also provide opportunities for supporting intramural, recreational and club-sponsored sports on campus as well as providing an indoor option for community sports leagues, such as soccer.
The Board of Regents approved the plan for the indoor facility at its June 2009 meeting and it was unanimously approved by the state's Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee in September.
The project is being funded by the 2005 tuition increase, 4 percent of which was specifically dedicated to enhance the university's infrastructure. The 4 percent increase (or approximately $4.4 million) has accumulated for the past four years, creating a pool of $17.6 million.
The new facility is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010.
The design/builder is Turner Construction Company of Detroit. The engineer/architect is BEI Associates, Inc. of Detroit.
