Phase one of Asbury’s new track and field facility is scheduled to be completed within the next few weeks.
When students left campus in the spring, the area behind the Luce was filled with piles of dirt and large construction machines. While some machines and cement trucks are still there, the space and piles of dirt are now transformed into a functioning soccer field and track.
The contractors, Wilburn Construction, have a few more things to finish up before the area can be inspected and approved.
“We had a meeting with the contractors earlier this week,” Asbury’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mark Whitworth said last Friday. “They expect to be finished probably within the next three or four weeks.”
Right now, the turf field is functional, but until the contractor approves it, it’s not open to the community or available to host events. So far, only varsity teams have been authorized to practice on it.
Whitworth and the athletic department are already looking ahead to phase two of the project during which they will expand the sports complex to include bleachers in the grandstands, new locker rooms, a large meeting space that can function as a press box, plazas and sidewalks to connect all the facilities.
“I think that will kind of emerge as one of the premium meeting spaces on campus when that’s done,” Whitworth said. “And then there’ll be little plaza terraces on each side. And that’ll be a great spot for students to come and just enjoy a sunset, watch a competition, visit with a friend, that kind of thing.”
For this addition to happen, the athletic department needs to raise an additional $4.5 million to fill in the rest of the gap for the project’s total cost. So far, Whitworth said they have raised around $11.5 to $12 million overall with the help of people seeing their vision.
“Our prayer is that everybody in the campus community would benefit from this experience,” Whitworth said.
Once phase two begins, the estimated time for the project is about eight to twelve months. Until that begins, students and the community will be welcome to use the completed phase one space.