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New Recreation Complex Win-Win for Everyone
November 05, 2015 02:28 PM | General
You ever try and get three people together to agree on something?
Well, how about nine?
That’s basically what is happening in Morgantown right now, and it’s coming together quite beautifully for the city, Monongalia County, West Virginia University and all people who value their heath and well-being.
It was announced today that a new, $25 million aquatic and track center will be constructed on a large plot of land at Mylan Park and will be available for county residents to use in the fall of 2017.
The organizations coming together to make this joint announcement include the Monongalia County Commission, the town of Granville, the city of Westover, the town of Star City, the city of Morgantown, Mylan Park Foundation, the Greater Morgantown Conventions & Visitors’ Bureau, Inc., Monongalia County Board of Education and of course, West Virginia University.
What is coming out of this collaborative effort is a 75,000-square-foot, 50-meter, eight-lane competition pool and diving tower with seating for 1,000 spectators, a warm-water therapeutic pool, family/public pool and water park, two wet classrooms, a cardio fitness room, two multi-purpose rooms, locker room facilities and concession areas in the aquatic center, and a fully functional, nine-lane outdoor track located near the aquatic center with seating for 1,000 spectators, public restrooms and the ability to play host to a wide array of track and field events.
Also included in the new recreational facility will be a cross country course encircling the entire complex.
It’s a grand slam home run for everyone who values physical fitness.
“I can’t thank the community enough, and it really starts with (former) Director (Oliver) Luck’s idea of putting this all together,” said West Virginia University swimming and diving coach Vic Riggs. “This is a community center that everyone can use. Obviously, we’re going to benefit, and it’s a game-changer for our program, but in talking over the last couple of years with this group that we’ve been working with, the benefits for the entire community are tenfold.”
Women’s track and cross country coach Sean Cleary echoes those sentiments.
“A few years ago when the Basketball Practice Facility opened there was excitement everywhere – coaches, players, recruits, the town – everybody was excited about it. Now, we’re doing this for a community with swimming, track and cross country. It’s just incredible,” said Cleary.
Having a first-class venue to train and compete in is certainly beneficial for West Virginia University Intercollegiate Athletics, but Riggs emphasizes the real winners in this venture are the citizens of West Virginia.
“West Virginia is a very water-active state,” he explained. “My wife and I have been around swimming for years and a good portion of it has been in California, so we understand the importance of having every kid learn what it is to swim or at least the important aspects of water safety. I think that is going to be a huge benefit to the Mon County schools and our goal is to have that happen, and to at least have every kid exposed to swimming lessons or exposed to water safety courses.”
He continued.
“As far as your senior citizens, cardio rehabilitation, water fitness … all of those things are going to be able to run simultaneously during the day, and even during our practices.”
Cleary, too, will welcome area recreational runners with open arms when the new track facility is finished.
“I’ve been a believer from day one, the local high schools, the community walkers and joggers, the marathoners, anybody involved with our sport are welcome, ‘Come in and use the facility.’ Now, it’s a situation where it’s a community facility and we’re really excited to be a part of that.”
Details regarding usage, management of the facilities and so forth are still being worked out, but West Virginia University has signed on to be one of the major tenants.
The Monongalia County school system will also utilize the three facilities for athletic competitions, as will other recreational entities.
Riggs says the new aquatic center will be modeled after the one constructed in Christiansburg, Virginia, a few years ago that is now being used by Virginia Tech.
“We flew down there about a year and a half ago with a small group of individuals to get an idea of how that facility was run, how it was built, funded, the relationship between the Christiansburg Center and Virginia Tech, and that really got the ball rolling for everybody,” he said. “I think, quite honestly, that’s when – along with the new baseball park working so well – everybody kind of understood that we could do this.”
Cleary said discussions on a new outdoor track began when Luck became athletic director in 2010, but the former AD needed time to deal with other pressing facility issues first.
“When he first arrived he said, ‘Listen, give me five years. I need to catch up with some of the other sports and I need to work on those facilities but I promise ... just give me five years,’” Cleary recalled. “Here we are five, six years later and this is becoming a reality. It’s amazing.”
About 18 months ago, Cleary was asked to get with his staff and discreetly begin to jot down some ideas on what a new outdoor track should have.
“It was a dream list from all of the places we’ve been,” he said. “Nine lanes, the dual runways, making sure we have clocks in the right places – all of the things required to host an NCAA regional and a Big 12 championship. We shot for the moon and everybody standing before us here today has worked their butts off to make sure this is going to happen.”
Riggs said the new Mylan Park Aquatic Center will also be suitable to host a Big 12 championship.
“Right now, the University of Texas is the only school (hosting the event) and (Texas coach) Eddie (Reese) would like to get away from having a workout for a conference meet,” he joked.
Because so many entities are involved in this project, it’s a fairly complicated process. Riggs admits there were many occasions when he had doubts that this would ever get done.
“Any time you are trying to build something of this magnitude you run into road blocks along the way, but what I think is exciting - and what has happened in the past - is that there were road blocks that stopped it,” he said. “This time, we all got together and realized for the greater good we’re going to make it happen.”
That includes new athletic director Shane Lyons, who has been a big supporter of the project once some of the more complicated issues were ironed out.
“Like any good athletic director, Director Lyons came in and needed some time to make sure this was the right thing to do,” Riggs noted. “In my meetings with him I’ve been very encouraged because he does want to do it right. He understands that if Sean and I are going to get people back after the first time, we have to have the right facilities. That kind of took place late spring and then we went through the summer and things really started moving at the end of September and into October.”
For Cleary, he says the true impact of what this means for area runners is now just beginning to sink in for him.
“Listening to everybody standing before us today, and hearing what’s going to happen, I know everyone is going to work together to make sure this is done right,” he said. “We have a nice rail trail and we can get some work done down there, but now there is going to be a level of excitement for the kids training. Morgantown is a running town. We know it’s football and we know it’s big-time sports and everything, but there are hundreds and hundreds of kids that run junior high and high school in this community that will now have a first-class facility to train in.”
Cleary envisions AAU, USATF and other championship meets coming to Mylan Park, bringing with them valuable dollars to the community. Riggs believes the same will happen in swimming and diving.
However, far beyond the dollars and potential revenue this new recreation complex is going to bring into the area is what it says about all of the entities responsible for making this happen - that your health and well-being is really priceless.
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