Purdue Awards Softball Complex Contract
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAn Auburn company has been awarded a $13 million contract to build a new softball complex at Purdue University. Fetters Construction Inc. will handle the final piece of the university's Mackey Complex project, which was approved in 2007. December 19, 2013
News Release
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The development of a new softball complex, the final piece of the Mackey Complex project, is nearly set to begin after the construction contract was awarded on Thursday.
The $13-million project, which is slated to be completed for the 2015 season, will be built by Fetters Construction, Inc.
The new complex, which will be located adjacent to Alexander Field and the Boilermaker Soccer Complex near the intersection of Cherry Lane and McCormick Road, was part of the Mackey Complex master plan approved by the Purdue Board of Trustees in May 2007 and designed to address the athletics department's facility deficiencies. The cost includes related site work and infrastructure.
“A new softball stadium completes a 20-year journey where we now will have contemporary facilities for all of our programs that will enable our student-athletes and coaches to compete for championships on a consistent basis,” athletics director Morgan Burke said. “The next step will be maintaining the existing facilities and ensuring that they remain contemporary as they age.”
The softball facility will be built in traditional Purdue style with brick and masonry exterior facades and a concrete spectator area with a combination of bench and chairback seats. Seating capacity will be 1,000, with the ability to expand in the future.
Both the home and visiting dugouts will be heated and both teams will have dedicated bullpens and batting cages. The Boilermakers' home dugout will be located along the third-base line and adjacent to a new clubhouse that will feature a locker room, lounge, team meeting area and athletic training treatment area. The clubhouse will be attached to an enclosed and heated training facility that will allow for offseason batting and pitching workouts.
A new press box will include media seating, radio and television announce booths, and a game-day operations area.
Restrooms and concession stands will enhance the fan experience.
“We are very anxious and excited for the ground breaking of our new stadium,” first year head coach Kim Schuette said. “It is a great thing for Purdue University, the Big Ten Conference, women's athletics and the surrounding communities. This facility will help us recruit, train and perform with the best. Purdue University is regarded as a world-class institution and this facility will elevate the status of our softball program to that elite level. “
The softball program presently plays its home games at the Boilermaker Softball Complex, which was constructed along Stadium Avenue in 1994-95, in conjunction with softball becoming an intercollegiate sport at Purdue. The Boilermaker Softball Complex has limited amenities, including no permanent restrooms and, since being built, its footprint has seen the nearby construction of an electrical substation and a parking lot for the recently renovated C?rdova Recreational Sports Center.
“The new stadium will rival any across the country with features that will benefit not only our student-athletes and coaches but our fan base, as well,” said associate athletics director Calvin Williams, who oversees the softball program at Purdue. “It will clearly demonstrate our commitment to the softball program.”
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, which is self-supporting and receives no tax dollars or university funding, is paying for the projects with income generated through Big Ten Conference television agreements, gifts and other department funds.
Source: Purdue University