Athletic Fields Repair and Improvement

November 2012

Background

The UAlbany Athletics and Recreation Master Plan, developed in 2004, provided a design and planning framework for the University to implement repairs and upgrades to the University’s athletic and recreational facilities over the next 10 to 15 years. This plan generally defined site and building improvements and identified new and upgraded athletic and recreation facilities within the existing campus fabric. In 2009, with this plan as the framework, the University studied several concepts and phasing options to address high priority near-term repair and upgrade needs to its track and football facilities, which are co-located and in serious disrepair. The project herein is the result of this additional analysis.

Scope

This project involves the design of a new phased, separate multi-purpose turf field facility, a separate recreational turf field, and repair and improvement to the existing track and field facility at the University to address long-standing repairs and facility deficiencies. These facilities are currently hampered by poor/inadequate conditions and inability to meet selected NCAA standards. Indeed, conditions are so poor, the varsity track team cannot hold competitions on University facilities. The three components of this project are interrelated with respect to construction phasing, timing of campus operational and field-use needs, and project staging. They include:

1. Track Repairs and Upgrades — A repaired and upgraded track and field venue will include a 9-lane synthetic surface track with 9-lane sprint straights at 48 inch widths. Associated throwing events will occur within the oval on a natural turf surface with repaired and upgraded lighting. Provisions for scoring, timing, equipment and meet management systems are included. The track will be located in its current site on the Uptown Campus and when not in use for competitions, will be available for casual and recreational use.
2. Recreational Turf Field — While a co-located recreational turf field ‐ within the oval of the track or on the site of the multi-use athletic facility ‐ was considered, such an arrangement would not be viable given the need for track/field events to have natural surfaces and given the need to provide extended season priority use for student recreational, intramural, and club sport activities. The Uptown Campus is essentially an urban campus and has few open, well-graded fields for such recreation. Accordingly, a synthetic turf field with new field lighting and fencing will be constructed east of the tennis courts, south of Dutch Quad for extended season use.
3. Multi-Use Athletics Facility — Varsity football will be relocated to a new multi-purpose facility to be located south of the Bubble, east of the SEFCU Arena. Once relocated, the track work can proceed. The modest facility is intended to provide seating for approximately 6,000 spectators. It will include a synthetic turf field that can accommodate both football and soccer and can hold other community and University events. The facility will also include other code- and competition-required features, such as a press booth, toilets and concessions, lighting, and audio-visual components. All components of the facility will be ADA compliant unlike the existing facilities. The multi-use athletic facility will be constructed to be expandable at some unknown time in the future without necessitating demolition of components constructed at this time.

Project Timeline: Start: April 2012
Estimated Completion for all venues: Fall 2013

Project Progress as of November 10, 2012:

The Stadium venue continues to move forward at a rapid pace with the installation of the stadium field walls, main structure footings and columns, steel erection at the south tower and seating structural beams for the lower bowl seating sections.

The Rec Field Turf is now available for University use. Sports lighting coming in Spring 2013.

Multi-Sport Complex Webcam:

The University at Albany athletic department has launched a Multi-Sport Complex Webcam, allowing Great Danes fans to easily follow the construction of Bob Ford Field. It can be found here.

Project Design Renderings:

(Click the picture for a printable version.)

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  Project Site Plan

  

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  Conceptual View - Rendering of Multi-Use Athletic Facility

  

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  Conceptual Exterior Perspective View - Southeast

  

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  Conceptual Exterior Perspective View - Southwest

  

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  Conceptual View - UAlbany Track

  

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  Start Construction Fencing

  

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  Retention Pond Area

  

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  Recreation Field Turf

  

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  Elevator Foundation

  

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  Seating Bowl Wall

  

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  Lower Seating Bowl & Berm Walls

  

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  Work on the Foundations

  

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  West Foundations

  

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  Structural Steel Assembly At South Tower

  

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  Worker Assembles Steel Connections

  

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  Concrete Pour At Foundation Walls

  

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  Concourse Level Looking North

  

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  Lower Seating Bowl From Field Level

  

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  Backfilling Below Seating Structure

  

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  Drilling Field Wall for Electrical Conduits

  

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  North Field Wall At Players Run