More than $1 million worth of renovations to Coe College Athletic facilities will be completed prior to the upcoming sports season. Athletic director John Chandler says it will include a new playing surface for the football and soccer teams.
"We’re in the process right now of renovating our competition field, called Clark Field, and we’re installing field turf," he says. "…That will be ready in mid-July and that will give us the ability to have competition, obviously, for football and soccer as well as our recreational sports, some of our intramural activities and things like that."
It was critical that Clark Field get an artificial surface, according to Chandler, because many of the 21 athletic teams at Coe need to have a outdoor surface to practice and competition. "With the weather in the Midwest…you have one day with a lot of rain and you have a football game going on, your field will take a beating," Chandler says. "This is going to help us from that aspect, as far as competition, but also in a situation where if we do have a rainy day for practice in football or soccer, we can move to the competition field and you’re not going to hurt the field."
There will also be a new look for Eby Fieldhouse which was constructed back in 1930. "We’ve done a complete renovation of that area with a new floor, new bleachers, lighting, baskets — everything. It’s really turned out nice," Chandler says. "…We renovated, but still kept the old fieldhouse feel to the facility."
Chandler says both projects will be completed before school begins in August.