LEXINGTON, Ky. — The UK Board of Trustees has approved a $30 million dollar spending authority for three athletics-based projects on campus - a new indoor track and field facility, a renovation of the Nutter Field House for the football team, and new video boards at Kroger Field.
The Board of Trustees approved spending of $20 million for the new indoor track and $5 million each for the renovation of the field house and the new scoreboards. The facilities will be financed by UK Athletics fundraising, which is in progress.
Fans interested in contributing directly to the projects can give to the "Kentucky Can" Capital Fund by clicking this link, taking them to a donation page.
UK Athletics will continue working with campus leadership during the design phases and timelines for completion will be determined as the projects are developed.
UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart talked with LEX 18's Maggie Davis about the projects, saying the plan right now is for the football facility to be renovated by the start of the 2023 season and for the new track and field facility to be ready by the spring of 2024. Barnhart said the scoreboard updates should be done before this football season.
Timeline for the new @UKFootball and @KentuckyTrack facilities?@MaggieDavisTV asked Athletic Director Barnhart when to expect things to come to fruition #BBN pic.twitter.com/Vim9S61hyU
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) February 18, 2022
The new facility will improve the training and efficiency of UK’s men’s and women’s indoor/outdoor track & field and cross country teams. The building will be located adjacent to the UK Outdoor Track and the teams’ locker rooms and strength and conditioning areas in Shively Sports Center.
It will feature a high-banked track, enabling the runners to train on a surface that is now standard for NCAA and Southeastern Conference indoor championships.
The new track & field facility is budgeted at $20 million (also privately funded). The proposed location is adjacent to the current outdoor track/field facility and the Shively Sports Complex, shown below ⬇ pic.twitter.com/a09v4prwOg
— Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) February 17, 2022
For the football team, planned improvements include replacement of the current surface with installation of a new wall-to-wall turf. The plans improve the safety of the current practice field, which is bordered tightly on each sideline and cut off in the end zones by the indoor track.
Also included in the field house plan are revisions to the mechanical system to improve air circulation and performance as well as new overhead doors and operable windows to add passive circulation to the practice area. New LED lighting will improve visibility during practice and reduce maintenance while improving energy efficiency. The appearance of the training area will be made more attractive with refreshed finishes and new graphics.
“We’re excited about the renovation of Nutter Field House, which will improve our practice capabilities, provide a better environment for the players and make our facilities even more attractive to recruits,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “We’re also excited about new videoboards for the fans at Kroger Field.
“These improvements will help continue the momentum of our program. We are greatly appreciative of the help of our administration and our supporters who are making these projects possible.”
