A group of Eastern Michigan University staff members,
coaches, athletes, regents and administrators
were on hand Oct. 20 to celebrate the groundbreaking of
the University's new multi-purpose indoor sports practice
facility.
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BREAKING GROUND: A groundbreaking ceremony
for the new $3.9 million multi-purpose indoor sports
practice facility took place Oct. 20. Participants
(from
left) were EMU Women's Soccer Coach Scott
Hall,
Mid-American Conference Commissioner
Jon
Steinbrecher, Regent Gary Hawks, Diane Keller,
president and CEO of the Ypsilanti Chamber of
Commerce;
Regents Thomas Sidlik and James
Stapleton, EMU
Athletic Director Derrick Gragg, EMU
President
Susan Martin, Regent Phil Incarnati and
Regents Chair
Roy Wilbanks.
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The facility, which will be an inflatable dome, will open
doors to sports teams around the University and in the
Ypsilanti community, offering a year-round opportunity
to play and practice.
Among the attendees was Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner
of the Mid-American Conference. He said such buildings
are now viewed as essential elements for collegiate athletic
programs at this level.
"Once, facilities like this were luxuries," Steinbrecher
said. "That day is long past. Now, they are necessities."
Of the six teams in the MAC West Division, which includes
Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois,
Ball State and EMU, only Ball State now lacks a similar
facility.
Derrick Gragg, EMU's athletic director, said the facility
is crucial for team development and in recruiting.
"This is a great day in EMU athletic history..." Gragg
said. "This will go a long way toward helping level the
playing field."
Women's Soccer Coach Scott Hall said the new facility
will enable his team to train year-round, noting that his
team had often played in the rain this season. Hall called
the facility "a huge recruiting advantage," but also noted
the facility is available for other students, along with
the community at large.
"It's another doorway for students to find their way to
the university," he said.
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 an air-supported structure that is
410 feet long, 210 feet wide and 75 feet tall. It 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.
Diane Keller, president and CEO of the Ypsilanti Chamber
of Commerce, praised EMU's foresight and outreach in building
the facility, adding that its various events and programs
would help lure additional visitors into hotels and area
businesses.
"It's a huge economic engine," she said.
Eastern Michigan officials had visited the University
of Colorado to view a similar facility there, and said
they came away with a helpful perspective on getting the
most value out of EMU's new facility.
Eastern Michigan University President Sue Martin noted
that several options and building sizes were considered
for the facility, which has been discussed around campus
for many years.
After obtaining additional information, including potential
community interest in the facility, regents and University
officials determined that a slightly larger facility with
upgraded parking and other enhancements would make it more
functional and user-friendly, Martin said.
The budget for the project — the building cost is $3.27
million, the parking lot $437,000, and the walkway and
welcome center $210,000 — was submitted to the State of
Michigan Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee in July, and
was approved in early September.
The facility's primary use will be for varsity athletic
programs, providing an indoor training location for football,
the women's soccer team, baseball, softball and men's and
women's golf.
Yet, it also will be utilized by EMU's club sports and
intramural programs. Additionally, due to its larger size,
it can be divided into four soccer fields, three of which
will be leased on an ongoing basis to the community for
youth soccer and other recreational programs. Leasing
revenues are projected to cover yearly maintenance and
operating costs.
The project is being funded by capital reserves and 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 per year)
has accumulated for the past four years, creating a pool
of $17.6 million that will be used for various building
projects.
The new facility is scheduled for completion in the spring
of 2010.
After she spoke, Keller joined the commissioner, President
Martin, regents and others for the first symbolic turn
of the shovel. Then, people carefully replaced the divots.
The football team would soon be practicing on that field.
