Bowen Field House indoor track facility repaired; open for use

At approximately 1:30 p.m. Jan. 27, a group of mile runners from Eastern Michigan University, Central Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy circled the 200-meter oval in Bowen Field House, marking the inaugural lap of the new Tartan surface track.

It was a far cry from the scene last September when the track and surrounding surface in Bowen resembled a giant waterbed after an underground pipe burst and flooded the facility. So much water rose, the track surface actually was floating in some spots while outside areas in the corners near the long jump pit and mechanical room actually dropped two feet during the Sept. 8 incident, said Dan Salk, EMU's assistant director, risk management and worker's compensation.

BASEBALL IN BOWEN: The EMU men's baseball team began practicing again last week in Bowen Field House. Until two weeks ago, the facility was undergoing renovations for a new track after a water pipe burst in September, effectively flooding the facility and ruining the old indoor track.

"Certain areas of the floor were heaving," Salk recalled. "Larry Ward (director of facility maintenance) described it as the largest waterbed you've ever seen."

As a result, the facility was closed for repairs and a few EMU athletic events scheduled in early January were either moved to other venues or canceled.

After paying a $50,000 deductible on its self-insured policy for the facility, the University, thus far, has recouped approximately $1 million for renovations. The money was used to pay for excavation costs; pouring a new asphalt layer and leveling it to specifications for a 200-meter indoor track; and installing and striping the new track surface. In addition, the facility was repainted.

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