Plans on track for new facility on South Street



Plans on track for new facility on South Street
Susie Laun
Posted: 2/8/07
Complications concerning the location of a new track field didn't stop Western from tracking down a facility to call its own.

Officials have selected a location for the new track facility, said Doug Ault, director of planning, design and construction.

The new location is across the train tracks on South Street, Associate Athletics Director Craig Biggs said.

Current plans for the facility include an NCAA regulation track and a parking lot.

Bleachers, a field house, a concession stand and restroom facilities will be added later, BA Architect Barry Blann said.

Designs are still being finalized for the project, but they should be complete by early spring, Blann said.

Construction will begin in the summer or fall of 2007, Ault said.

Western chose the spot on South Street to construct the track because the university owns the land, and there were problems with the other locations that were considered, Ault said.

The location wasn't ideal because it was barely big enough for everything Western wanted to construct, and it's isolated from the rest of campus, Ault said.

The property layout was also difficult because architects had to fit an oval field into a triangular plot, he said.

But that location worked out to be the best place to put the track, Ault said.

Ault said the project wouldn't have been possible if Bowling Green Municipal Utilities hadn't given Western a small easement on their property.

A small portion of the field is inside BGMU property, he said.

The nearby water tower will act as a landmark for the field, Blann said.

Western is still trying to find money for the facility, Ault said.

Plans are to spend $2.5 million, he said.

The athletics department is getting construction money from private donors, Ault said.

The track team is practicing indoors and in the area around Smith Stadium that isn't demolished while the stadium is under construction, Biggs said.



Reach Susie Laun at news@wkuherald.com.
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Where is South Street?

Hilltopper2K Wrote:Where is South Street?

across the tracks back off Old Morgantown Rd.