Construction is underway on a new athletics facility that will feature a track and field, softball and soccer facilities, and recreation center. The venue, named Rock Chalk Park, will be located in northwest Lawrence.
The University teamed up with the City of Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department for the project. The City Commission approved the KU portion of the park in a Jan. 8 meeting, and grading and groundwork are moving forward. However, the city has not yet approved the plan for the new recreation center. Ernie Shaw, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said there is a possibility it could be approved in the Feb. 19 meeting.
Both Shaw and Kevin Loos, vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Department advisory board, said this project has been in the works for well over a decade.? Shaw said the lack of recreation facilities on the west side of town has been a hindrance for the city and the residents living in the area.
?It will give us a lot more opportunity for programming and give the people in the west an actual facility in their neighborhood. That?s our number one goal: to meet the needs of our citizens,? Shaw said. ?It?s also an opportunity to host outside and regional tournaments and bring dollars into the city.?
Loos, who has been on the board for six years, said the recreation center has been a discussion since his first day, but that KU has helped push the process along by bringing in more support, as well as financial assistance.
?You get more bang for your buck,? Loos said of partnering with the University. ?The developer has offered financing for less for everybody, including the city.?
According to a press release issued by KU Athletics, the track and field stadium will be able to seat up to 10,000 people, the softball stadium 1,500 and the soccer stadium 2,500. The total cost will be $39 million, spread out over 30 years instead of an estimated $50 million, thanks to the partnership with the KU Endowment Association and Thomas and Dru Fritzel of Bliss Sports.
?By partnering and coming together, we can build in one location and save some on that infrastructure cost,? Shaw said. ?We?re being able to share resources without duplicating in separate locations.?
Loos thinks the project will benefit the University as well as the entire city by drawing in tourists for KU events and youth athletic tournaments, and in turn, more revenue from retail.
?We?re continuing to develop a better relationship between KU and the city,? Loos said. ?It?s really been driven not only from a growth standpoint but also an economic standpoint, and bringing more into the city.?
Although the two projects are separate, Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger shares Loos?s belief in the joint effort bringing prosperity to Lawrence.
?If all the facilities are together, it will be a more vibrant park and it will be more of an economic engine for Lawrence,? Zenger said.
Zenger?s intention in building the park is to bring the track and field, soccer and softball facilities up to par not only with those in the Big 12, but with universities nationwide.
?Now more than ever, you have to stay at a certain level, not just with the competitiveness of your teams, but your facilities,? he said.
By increasing the prestige of the arenas and changing the game day atmosphere, having state-of-the-art facilities will also aid in competing for recruits. Women?s soccer coach Mark Francis said the affect of the new stadium on recruiting would most likely be the biggest difference.
?It?s going to be like night and day. It will put us on an even playing field with the rest of the conference from a facilities standpoint,? he said.
Francis said every athletic director in his 14 years of coaching at the University has told him that soccer would receive a new facility.
?I?m grateful to them that they?ve made it happen and it?s a reality now,? Francis said. ?That?s very reassuring and I?m appreciative.?
Source: http://kansan.com/news/2013/01/23/university-city-team-up-to-build-new-recreation-center/
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