Oakland facilities to receive a major facelift

Last month the Oakland University Board of Trustees approved $65 million worth of future innovations and projects around campus. Among the items approved were new student housing facilities, a four story parking garage, and additional maintenance facilities.

$7.8 million of the funds were allotted for renovations and updates to the Oakland athletic department.  The plans call for eight tennis courts and a new track and field complex with a turf infield to be built near the upper fields. Located at the corner of Pioneer and Ravine, the upper fields will be improved with turf, stadium seating, and overhead lights.

“We see this as a multi-purposed and multi-dimensional facility where you can have many activities,” said the Oakland Director of Athletics, Tracy Huth. “This could be a place for students to congregate for a variety of activities.”

Both the athletic department and campus recreation will share the grounds, allowing for Summit League competitions and intramural sports to utilize the new facilities.

“We’ve been planning this for quite a while,” Huth said. It is really a combined effort with Student Affairs and the Department of Campus Recreation.”

A new press trailer will be furnished for all outdoor sport facilities and for special events.

In addition, the baseball field will have a new scoreboard, bleachers, restroom trailer. The restroom trailer will have four units along with an ADA unit. A new walkway from the parking structure down to the field area will be created along with a new cement pad behind home plate for the bleachers. The hill behind home plate will undergo landscaping and will have drainage added as well a set of retaining walls.

These renovations are in preparation for Oakland to hold the 2013 Summit League baseball tournament. It will be the first time in school history that the Grizzlies will have hosted the championship.

“We take a lot of pride in what we host, Huth said. “We want to set the standard, not just in the Summit League, but whenever we host anything. We want the fans, the staff, and most importantly the student athletes to have the best experience they’ve ever had.”

The softball field will also receive a new scoreboard, bleachers, and restroom trailer featuring two units and an ADA unit.

A cement pad will be poured behind both home plates, on the baseball and softball fields respectively. These pads will be used for the new bleachers, restrooms, and press trailer.

“It is tremendous for us to finally be able to offer this, Huth said. “A young history is advantageous because there is an excitement for our school to continue to grow, and our alumni to see that growth and be proud of their school.

The golf program also recently received a facelift to their facilities, following a generous donation from Stephan Sharf. Sharf, a longtime friend of Oakland, gave the school $21 million last February, the largest donation ever received by OU from a single donor. He donated an additional $4 million for the creation of a new clubhouse, completed in June.

“Due to the generosity of Mr. Sharf and other donors, this facility is going to make all the difference in the world,” Huth said. “For (men’s and women’s head golf) Coach (Russ) Cunningham and his student-athletes, this is huge. I know they have already won several tournaments in the fall, but the future for them is very bright.”

The old golf pro shop was gutted to create new locker rooms. Both the men’s and women’s spaces include restrooms, showers, custom wood lockers, and a team lounge area. Two coaches offices were added to the facility.

The $4 million dollar Sharf clubhouse includes high definition televisions with attached cameras, connected to iPads that allowed for presentations to be made. The basement features a golf simulator, spanning three walls.