New Athletic Facility Coming Soon
There will be a new addition coming to the Dakota State University campus! This is exciting because it will be advantageous for not only the student body, but also for our athletes. This plan was put in motion in 2017 which, according to the Facility Program Plan, will entail a new football stadium, an indoor multi-purpose track, as well as new fields for softball, baseball and soccer.
We reached out to Stacy Krusemark, Vice President of Business and Administrative Services, for more details on this project. He said, “the current Memorial Fieldhouse was constructed at a time when athletics at DSU was significantly different than it is now. This new facility will provide much needed additional and enhanced space. This will allow for expanded opportunities for current and future student athletes, fans, alumni and the greater Madison community.”
Unfortunately, money is still needed to obtain the remaining land needed to begin the project. The building would be approximately 121,069 square ft. total, and a campaign to fund the purchase of the remaining land needed has been started. According to the Facility Program Plan, some of the additions to the athletic facility include a new football stadium which entails indoor and outdoor suites, team lockers, and training facilities. Phenomenally, there will be suites, press boxes, and hospitality spaces as well.
The indoor arena will include a 300-meter track which would allow track and field competitions and various indoor activities to be held there. Also, a new weight room will be added to the Events Center as well. There will also be a space added for the growing E-Sports team and environment here at DSU. The new athletic facility will include more space for athletic training and a Biomechanics Lab which will improve the exercise science program! There will also be a kitchen, concession and catering space which will benefit future developments of the building.
However, when the project will begin as well as when it will be completed is tentative. Regardless, this will benefit all of DSU and the Madison community. We will be able to entertain more and offer better opportunities to bring in more students, athletes, and coaches. The entire project will cost approximately $28,047,000. Thankfully, we have received multiple private donations to fund the new building! Maintenance and repair for the building will cost a whopping $7,350,000! This amount will be covered by the DSU Foundation. On-going operational costs will be approximately $69,500 for utilities, custodial staffing and supplies, and other expenses. However, this expense will not be covered by the any private funding. It is important to note that the expenses of future camps, events and games are not included in any of the amounts given.
This is an amazing opportunity that our school and community decided to give us and future students attending DSU. The athletic program will improve drastically as a result of these new additions to our campus. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach the athletic director, Jeff Dittman, for his perspective on the new facility, but we are sure that the entire athletic faculty is excited for the future incorporation to our campus. If you have any questions about the process or the facility that you would like answered in another article feel free to comment below.
