University Recreation is making substantial renovations to the UREC Sports Complex at 1486 Mitchell St. to improve existing outdoor collegiate recreation facilities.

The facility will undergo a major facelift with the natural grass surface to be converted to artificial turf. In addition, the sand volleyball courts will be renovated and LED lighting will replace the metal-halide fixtures. This will result in an increase in light levels, a decrease in light pollution, both vertically and horizontally, and decreased operational costs. 

The conversion will provide greater flexibility for the Club Sports and Intramural Sports programs when scheduling games and practices, particularly in the event of inclement weather. 

UREC also looks forward to offering regularly scheduled open recreation hours at the UREC Sports Complex.

"The opportunity to dramatically renovate our current playing fields begins to address the many concerns we hear from students related to playing conditions, canceled events, and lack of space for drop-in recreation. This is a tremendous opportunity to create additional opportunities for recreation and wellness," said Jeremy Battjes, director of University Recreation. "We are excited to kick this project off in early May to offer a completely new level of programming for our students that begins to meet their wants and needs starting in fall 2017."

To celebrate this project, University Recreation will host "Breaking the Ground," a special event that will include a slip and slide obstacle course, sand volleyball games, capture the flag, and more. "Breaking the Ground" will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, May 1, at the UREC Sports Complex at 1486 Mitchell St. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join in this free event.

"Throughout our Intramural and Club Sports season this year, I know many students, and our student employees, were frustrated that we had to cancel programming due to unplayable field conditions," said Jonathan Elliott, assistant director for Club and Intramural Sports. "This fun event provides a great opportunity to unleash some of that pent-up frustration by literally tearing the field apart. I know I have my cleats ready."

Construction is scheduled to begin May 1 and conclude in late September 2017. Visit the University Recreation webpage to see a complete list of operational hours and additional information. To follow progress of the new facility project over the coming months, like University Recreation on Facebook and monitor for monthly updates.