Friday, August 31, 2007
It’s only a matter of time before groundbreaking will take place at Hoglund Ballpark for the Kansas baseball team’s clubhouse.
Construction on the clubhouse was originally planned to begin soon after Kansas’ 2007 season. But the project has gained additional funding and grown in scale since, resulting in delays.
When the athletics department began planning for the clubhouse we didn’t know how much it was going to cost, said Sean Lester, Associate Athletics Director of Internal Affairs. “Then you get into it and you’re like, ‘Wow, we really want to do this, so let’s allocate some more dollars.’ So we had to allocate some more money towards that project because it’s going to be such a great one.”
The clubhouse is now being estimated at $1.7 million and 6,500 square feet, but will still be built behind the bleachers down the first base line.
It will feature a locker room area and lounge for the players, although Lester said the lounge wouldn’t be as swank as it sounds. It will actually be more of a study hall for the players to use between classes. The coaches will have their own game day offices in the clubhouse, while their main offices are expected to remain in Allen Fieldhouse. For visitors, the clubhouse will include a reception area where the baseball team will display trophies, awards and pay tribute to former greats to come through the program.
Perhaps no one is more excited about the coming clubhouse than Kansas baseball coach Ritch Price. He said Kansas was the only Big 12 school without a baseball clubhouse. Price called the clubhouse the “final piece of the puzzle” to helping Kansas compete with Big 12 schools and top programs in the region for recruiting.
“It’s been a five-year process here as we’ve tried to rebuild the program,” Price said. “The facilities in our conference are as good as any place in America, so when you’re recruiting against Nebraska, Arkansas and Wichita State, it’s imperative that we can offer the same type of facilities for our players.”
The only speed bumps left before construction can begin are completing the design of the clubhouse and finding a contractor.
Lester said the department has finished approximately 50 percent of the design and bidding is underway to find a contractor. He expects a contractor to be in place within two or three weeks. Once construction begins, Lester said the project could take anywhere from eight to 10 months to complete.
“If we get the right construction company and they’re doing all the right things, then it could go a lot faster and that’s our goal,” Lester said. “We want to fast track this thing as fast as possible. Our belief is, if we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it right, or we’re not going to do it at all. Because it’s going to be there a long time.”
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
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