Gibson Track and Field Complex, grand opening THIS Friday! New TribStar article

WANTED: Passionate Sycamore Fanatics. That You?

Register NOW to join our community of die-hard Sycamore fans.

Register Log in
SycamoreStateofMind

SycamoreStateofMind

The Odum Level
Supporter
If ever was a day to go by the Gibson Track and Field Complex to take a look at the new digs it would be today, the weather is great outside and sod is being put down, sidewalk infrastructure by the city down 1st. Street, the fence is being put up around the outside of the facility - the place looks great!

10172629_10101055060073274_5059882528882816732_n.jpg

10659058_10101057012755084_8013909036512650191_o.jpg

Take a few minutes and drive by and take a look at the progress. The dedication of the track will take place on April 17. (Edited, April 19 wrong date).
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
I heard they originally thought it was a great building and hoped somebody would buy it and put apartments in it . Sounded like a crazy idea. It's a big dinosaur of a building that needs to come down.
 
Can they do the Icon building like the tailgate pavilion at Chattanooga? It was basically an old building that was opened up for indoor tailgating. It would go perfect with a football stadium.
 

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
The only options I have heard are the following:

1. Paint it up nice and let it sit vacant. (Which is what the plan is for now, they will probably paint it this summer would be my guess).

2. Have a company come in and restore the building for student housing. Understand it would be too damn expensive to do this and is not really a viable option.

3. Demo it. Would have been a lot cheaper and easier to do if done first - now that the track is in place, the river behind it makes that building a lot more difficult and expensive to demo. Would guess that someday 2020?? That building will come down.

Other things that had been looked at for consideration:


> Indoor track - the building is not designed for an indoor track and could not be turned into one.

> Athletic Office and or Track and Field Offices/Locker Rooms/Weight Room Etc. Personally I think this option might make sense - clean up the building, I know they hope to move soccer over to the track in the near future, thus you could have that building house Soccer and Track and Field teams with nice locker rooms and a weight room and maybe even put an athlete cafeteria in this building, a lot of major universities have separate cafeterias for athletes - just a thought.
 
SycamoreStateofMind said:
The only options I have heard are the following:

1. Paint it up nice and let it sit vacant. (Which is what the plan is for now, they will probably paint it this summer would be my guess).

2. Have a company come in and restore the building for student housing. Understand it would be too damn expensive to do this and is not really a viable option.

3. Demo it. Would have been a lot cheaper and easier to do if done first - now that the track is in place, the river behind it makes that building a lot more difficult and expensive to demo. Would guess that someday 2020?? That building will come down.

Other things that had been looked at for consideration:


> Indoor track - the building is not designed for an indoor track and could not be turned into one.

> Athletic Office and or Track and Field Offices/Locker Rooms/Weight Room Etc. Personally I think this option might make sense - clean up the building, I know they hope to move soccer over to the track in the near future, thus you could have that building house Soccer and Track and Field teams with nice locker rooms and a weight room and maybe even put an athlete cafeteria in this building, a lot of major universities have separate cafeterias for athletes - just a thought.
Click to expand...

I think the last option you mention is most logical also... Many options for an athletic facility utilization are there. Really, after touch ups, it may look pretty good. Put some attractive signage on it, etc. A balcony or two. Offices and training areas.... Too bad a track can't be installed in the interior...
I think ISU should leave it - since the football stadium location is undecided and options for utilization can be high - especially with soccer potentially moving nearby too. That is, of course, as long as the structure is sound....
 
southernindianaballer said:
I think the last option you mention is most logical also... Many options for an athletic facility utilization are there. Really, after touch ups, it may look pretty good. Put some attractive signage on it, etc. A balcony or two. Offices and training areas.... Too bad a track can't be installed in the interior...
I think ISU should leave it - since the football stadium location is undecided and options for utilization can be high - especially with soccer potentially moving nearby too. That is, of course, as long as the structure is sound....
Click to expand...

Well stated. I think it is a pretty structurally sound building, hence the reason it was going to cost so much to do the demo... I agree, the building could be utilized, you could hang some pretty cool looking banners off the side of that building and fix it up and it probably wouldn't look that out of place.

But as ITF said, "they don't have any money"... lol All of this takes money, if they started raising funds for this years ago or hell even within the last month then maybe we could get something like this done. Maybe when Jason proposes a way to help them raise funds they shouldn't just dismiss him and the time he spent trying to help them. Jason has proved that this site can assist in fundraising efforts and is an underutilized resource. Tangent! lol
 
SycamoreStateofMind said:
Well stated. I think it is a pretty structurally sound building, hence the reason it was going to cost so much to do the demo... I agree, the building could be utilized, you could hang some pretty cool looking banners off the side of that building and fix it up and it probably wouldn't look that out of place.

But as ITF said, "they don't have any money"... lol All of this takes money, if they started raising funds for this years ago or hell even within the last month then maybe we could get something like this done. Maybe when Jason proposes a way to help them raise funds they shouldn't just dismiss him and the time he spent trying to help them. Jason has proved that this site can assist in fundraising efforts and is an underutilized resource. Tangent! lol
Click to expand...

Totally agree. But as I've learned from a lifetime of dealing with ISU people, if it's not their idea, they want no part of it...
 

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
That is very nice... much better than Marks Field.
Question: If I go to a meet - where should I go to the restroom? Should I drop my buddies off in the Wabash? LOL
Question: Are there any changing areas (rooms) for players?
Question: I have not seen the final plans - Long range - they will install permanent seating, right?
Question: A football stadium across the street would be nice! Anyone have 10 mill to donate on here? LOL
 
southernindianaballer said:
That is very nice... much better than Marks Field.
Question: If I go to a meet - where should I go to the restroom? Should I drop my buddies off in the Wabash? LOL
Question: Are there any changing areas (rooms) for players?
Question: I have not seen the final plans - Long range - they will install permanent seating, right?
Question: A football stadium across the street would be nice! Anyone have 10 mill to donate on here? LOL
Click to expand...

I suggest you ask those questions to the Indiana State Athletic Department and the ISU Foundation. I have had many conversations with both over the last 5 years (at least) about this project and can tell you that these will go addressed until they decide to raise funds for this project.

By the way... You left out a "Question", Will they install lighting - I presume not all meets are run during daylight hours, it takes a bit of time to put on a track meet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top