New recreational and intramural sports fields will be completed on Post Road in the spring, replacing the flood-damaged golf course that was there prior.
The project is planned for two full-length soccer fields, two flag-football fields and two structures to house supporting amenities for the fields. The two 80-by-120-yard fields, one of which can be split in half for two 50-by-80-yard flag football fields, will be built at the intersection of Bert Brown Street and Post Road, next to Travis Elementary School.
The construction project, labeled “Multi-use Recreational Fields” is projected to be finished and open to students by spring 2020. Project Cost Resources Inc, a cost management firm contracted by Texas State, estimated the project will cost $5,592,556 per open records request by The University Star.
The two planned structures will be adjacent to the vintage and now-restored 1920’s gas station at the intersection and will contain restrooms, concessions, storage, education and conference room space.
Director of Campus Recreation Christy Nolan said the planning for the project began in 2015 following an incident that affected the condition of the, then, golf course.
“Most of the development and planning of the field occurred when the golf course flooded twice in 2015,” Nolan said. “I came in at the tail end once the plans had already been drawn up and gave my input into how we would operate and manage the space.”
The environmental aspect of the project has been considered by Planning, Design and Construction Director Michael Petty, who said the prior use of the lot suits it perfectly as a recreational field.
“There will be no environmental impact since it was previously a golf course,” Petty said. “Now, it will simply be a recreational field that will have the same type of activity as it did in the past.”
The need and purpose for the two additional fields converged, considering the multitude of student programs that will make use of the fields.
“The lot is for use by over 30 club and sports teams and the intramural program,” Nolan said. “We’ve lost a number of fields over the past couple of years, so the addition of these two fields will really help us accommodate the needs of the student body.”
Nolan hopes to better accommodate students with the completion of the new recreational fields by introducing new activities that will be possible to facilitate in the new space.
“I know a number of students have asked for ultimate frisbee and while we have a very healthy ultimate disk club, we do not offer it as an intramural sport,” Nolan said “These fields will allow us to do that. We will offer a number of backyard games— kickball, cornhole, ladder golf, washers, spikeball—types of things popular on other campuses.”
This expansion comes amid various other improvements to the intramural program, including the fall 2020 rollout of FusionIM, an online portal where participants can create teams, manage rosters, view rankings and plan schedules for their teams.
Brandon Velez, finance senior and four-year intramural participant, spoke on the improvements made to the program over his time at Texas State.
“I have seen (the program) get vastly better over the years,” Velez said. “(FusionIM) is quick, easy and what we’d like any computer in 2019 to feel like. The old version was incredibly slow and used by hundreds of other universities. It’s awesome they are investing in intramural sports.”
Velez said he is excited to see how the new facilities will impact the appeal of the intramural program, even though he will not be present to see its completion.
“To put more resources into it gives intramurals a lot more credibility,” Velez said. “It shows (the school) cares about everyone, not just the football team or the volleyball team.”