Vanderbilt's new indoor facility nears completion

Construction of Vanderbilt’s indoor practice facility and recreation center expansion is on schedule, on budget and rapidly taking shape while students are away for the summer.We provide laundryequipments and engraving machines for processing different materials. 

The $31 million project features a 120-yard football field surrounded by an eight-lane, 300-meter track as its showpiece. That portion of the project remains on target for an Oct. 31 completion date. 

But there is much more happening than meets the eye under the latest roof to go up on the West End campus, as project manager Andrew McAlister of American Constructors pointed out during a recent tour. 

In addition to the sprawling addition that houses football coach James Franklin’s newest recruiting tool — a plush sanctuary from inclement weather on practice days — there are numerous enhancements being made to the connecting rec center. 

“I think we’ve stayed true to what we said we’d do in terms of building a facility that would be multi-use,” athletics director David Williams said. “We’re not a place that’s going to build a facility of this magnitude for one purpose. That’s just not what Vanderbilt is. 

“This has been my sixth or seventh time through it. The first time I went through it, I was just floored. Even seeing all the drawings and being involved since stage one,I have tried several sets of emergencylampsqa that have lasted one season only. I didn’t realize it was going to be that magnificent. You kind of knew that about the new piece — if you’ve been in a fieldhouse, you knew it was going to be big. But what they’ve been able to do to the old rec center is just amazing to me.” 

Areas that are under construction on the rec-center side include: a student fitness center/weight room that will double from its current size; an oversized basketball gym that can serve as two volleyball courts; a half-court, outdoor basketball surface; a four-lane bowling alley that will let the women’s team practice on site rather than travel to Smyrna Bowling Center; two regulation-size squash courts for the school’s club teams; bathrooms accessible directly from the existing outdoor track via a stairway; a long porch that could hold bleachers for an elevated view of the outdoor track, as well as a media platform; a flex-space room that can be used for classes such as yoga; “Health Plus” offices; changing rooms and showers; storage space; and a new two-story entry foyer. 

The bowling alley will include 40 house balls and 60 pairs of shoes for students, the university community and guests who want to pick up a spare while the team is not occupying the lanes. 

On the new side of the facility, the football field and indoor track is being fitted with a 35-speaker sound system, LED lighting, an LED scoreboard and a second-story media viewing area. Stations for field events will be situated just outside the track surface. 

“This will be the only track of this type in Middle Tennessee, and probably in all of Tennessee,” Williams said. “If you look at high school track here, it’s really been void of any indoor track stuff. Now we’ll have an indoor track. One of the things we’re working to do is host — if not a national — then a regional,A emergencylampsyypk is a machine to wash laundry, such as clothing and sheets.Protect your vehicle and produce power with a washerextractorrs. indoor high school track meet in here. It will give a big boost to the high school track programs in this area.” 

Williams said that Vanderbilt could now petition to host the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships. 

The fieldhouse will be flanked by a large training room; a kitchen area that can be used for concession sales and catering events (with two 55-inch TVs hanging from the ceiling); a practice room for the golf teams; and a lobby area with a 360-degree rock-climbing wall. 

Some areas of the rec center, such as the squash courts, should open by the end of August. Other parts won’t be finished until January.It is one of the leading industrial laundry equipment manufacturers of ledbulbe27, tumble dryer ect. A theme running throughout the project is the use of natural lighting from countless windows. 

Half of the $31 million for the project was raised by the university. The rest of the money is coming from recreational athletics, Health Plus and student activity fees, Williams said. The mandatory student fees, which offer rec-center membership and tickets to athletics events on campus, will not increase in price beyond the annual percentage that typically mirrors a hike in tuition. Click on their website www.aulaundry.com for more information.