What has been the hold-up on progress? “Putting the dollars together;
so you can draw it up and sell it to everyone pretty quickly. You don’t
want to take money from another budget,” says Riggins. All the
money for this project is external money that has been raised or donated
and will not affect scholarships or budget.
On-going construction will affect men's and women's soccer, lacrosse, and spring
football. Lacrosse just kicked off their season with their first home
game on February 24 in Meares Stadium against Limestone College.
Heavy machinery will have to be brought in for jobs such as breaking
up concrete slab. That may result in temporarily moving home contests scheduled
for Mars Hill.
Where will they play? "The quarry," Riggins quickly responded. The
quarry, also known as Belk Athletic Field, is a practice field tucked off behind
Fox dormitory. “We just spent a great deal of money this summer
getting the field game-ready,” Riggins said.
The construction will also affect graduation. Traditionally, graduation
has been held in Meares Stadium, but this year it has been moved to Moore Auditorium.
Graduating seniors will be limited to eight tickets apiece.
Despite the temporary inconvenience, these upgrades will benefit the college
in the long run, said Riggins. “We are not trying to keep up
with the Joneses -- (other conference institutions). We draw plans and needs
to fit Mars Hill," he said. “But it produces a better place
for the athletes to play and for the visitors to watch..”
He said the new synthetic all-weather turf would have many advantages over
traditional grass. “You can’t play that many games on any
type of grass; there's simply not enough recovery time,” with men's and
women's soccer as well as football using the field all at once.
Athletic teams will also have more options for dealing with inclement weather
and class conflicts, since there will be lights in Meares Stadium. Practice
now can be pushed back to allow students to get an education without missing
practice.
As Riggins reflects upon the press box, he notes that "College
football has changed so much…There is more media attention, more
people, more logistics than twenty years ago. Improvements and renovations
create excitement, which causes people to be drawn to it. I think that
the first home game of next year's schedule will draw the biggest crowd. Everyone
that plugged into the fundraising would love to see the turnout.”
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