This Sunday, a ceremonial groundbreaking marked the official beginning of construction of the East Campus Athletic Village, Rensselaer’s largest athletic complex to have ever been built. The ceremony was held on the Upper Renwick Field near the Houston Field House at 10 am.
From the future site of the fifty yard line in a 4,800 seat multipurpose stadium, President Shirley Ann Jackson, Vice President for Student Life Eddie Ade Knowles, members of the Board of Trustees, and the President of the Union dove their shovels into the ground to inaugurate the construction of Phase I, which should be completed in time for students to return in Fall 2009. In addition to the stadium, Phase I will consist of basketball courts and a face-lift to the Houston Field House.
Knowles recalled why RPI was building ECAV, quoting part of The Rensselaer Plan, “We will enhance the student experience on campus,” listing many of the recent enhancements including added landscaping, a new residence hall, the ongoing construction of the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, and the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Speaking for the Board of Trustees, Chairman Samuel Heffner ’56 said, “We just cannot express our appreciation to Dr. Jackson anymore than what she has done to make this thing come to fruition.”
The new ECAV will include “major renovations to the Houston Field House to accommodate our Division I ice hockey … with new facilities for coaches and players and to provide a much-improved spectator experience,” Dr. Jackson emphasized.
Women’s ice hockey Head Coach John Burke is excited to have the day on the horizon when “campus athletic facilities will be able to support the whole campus.”
With the addition of these new facilities also comes the loss of some popular arenas such as the Class of ’86 Field. Knowles admits “There is a great deal of sentimentality for the ’86 Field.” However, if its use was continued, the field would need excessive restoration. Rain, mud, and drainage have continued to be perpetual problems every year, which have negative impacts on player performance and have been the causes of many injuries. Instead, the field will likely be turned into a green area for students to use.
Despite the controversy and tension that was building behind the issue of ECAV, the plans for the facility were ultimately accepted by the Troy Planning Board, which in turn gave Rensselaer the green light for construction to start. “Rensselaer and Troy have been working very closely together and taking the necessary mitigation steps to ease the concerns of the community,” according to Troy Mayor Harry J. Tutunjian.
Previously, some Troy residents had taken issue with parking, transportation, and lighting changes that would arise with ECAV’s construction. The Institute, however, has said it will take several steps to accommodate these concerns including renovating sidewalks and crosswalks, drainage systems, and energy efficient lighting systems. Also, Rensselaer will improve the drainage system at the site of the new facilities to reduce storm-water runoff into the surrounding neighborhoods. Troy area resident John Murphy asked, “How is RPI supposed to grow and remain a world class institute if we do not let it?” He added, “RPI has created numerous opportunities for kids and this will advance and bring more money into the city.”
With construction expected to begin this week, project manager Barbara Nelson ’80 said she is both excited and nervous, but her only concern is “keeping everyone playing while we’re working.” For Nelson, this is the largest project she has ever undertaken, but she is confident that everything will go as planned.
Sasaki Architects and Whiting-Turner Construction have been awarded the contracts for the design and construction of ECAV. Jackson noted that the Institute is tapping the talents of our alumni for this project as it has in past endeavors. The $110 million project is not fully funded, but has received many contributions. The largest of these comes from Rensselaer Alumni Association Board of Directors summing $300,000.
President of the Union Erik Swanson ’08 is excited about ECAV in that it will provide “a wealth of opportunity to students—the dedicated gyms and fields will help build our teams, the increased seating capacity will help build our notoriety and school spirit, and the overall project will help build our applicant pool, all leading to a cultural renaissance at Rensselaer.” ECAV is being constructed in accordance with NCAA specifications, which will make RPI a potential venue for NCAA tournaments and other large scale events.
A tailgate celebration followed the groundbreaking with an opportunity for those in attendance to talk with administrators and see the models and renderings of the facility.
