There will be a brief period of short term pain for the long term gain. It will be necessary to take the track, along with the fields off-line for eight weeks to complete the project. Work begins on Monday, May 18, immediately following semester’s end, with the fields ready for play by July 13 (weather permitting). Parking and pedestrian traffic along the east side of Maryland Avenue will also be affected during this time. A number of parking spaces will serve as the storage and staging area for construction materials. The pedestrian walkway may be unavailable for extended periods of time. Stankowski Field House and the sand volleyball courts will remain open for use as will the pedestrian walkways to the north and south of the fields.
The 1.5 million dollar project is entirely funded by student fee dollars made possible by long term planning and fiscal responsibility. A replacement fund was established shortly after the original Astroturf was installed in 1997. In discussing the project Director of MizzouRec, Diane Dahlmann, says “Our student leaders tell us Stankowski Field plays a significant role in campus life. Resurfacing the fields is an investment in our students and our future. This state of the art product will provide our students a world class playing experience that will be second to none within the current fee structure.”
Those interested in following progress of the project should visit the MizzouRec website beginning May 18th, where a site webcam image will be displayed along with regular reports on the project. You can learn more about MondoTurf here.
