Soon, members of the ODU community will not have to leave campus to play tennis indoors on the coldest and hottest days, get in a round of golf at the area’s newest nine-hole course and do all of the following – and more – at a modern recreation center: climb a rock wall, work out on the latest aerobic and circuit training equipment, play racquetball and run along an indoor track.

As part of an ambitious renovation and construction master plan that will touch nearly all sections of the university over the next three years, ODU’s recreational and athletic facilities complex, located in the southwest quadrant of campus, is set to undergo some major changes.
Perhaps one of the more anticipated projects is the one that will turn the old Fieldhouse into a state-of-the-art recreation center (see drawing). This $16.5 million project, financed by a state general fund appropriation and bond proceeds, and amortized by student and user fees, will likely get under way in early 2006 and be completed in mid-2007, according to Robert L. Fenning, vice president for administration and finance.

In addition to the indoor rock-climbing wall, a 20,000-square-foot fitness center and indoor track, the project calls for the installation of courts for racquetball, squash and handball; enhancements to the gymnasium to accommodate various sports, including roller hockey; refinements to the pool area and aquatics operations; the addition of a lounge and snack bar; and new offices for recreational sports.

Fenning said that a limited number of recreation center memberships will be made available to the public.

The renovation, which entails the addition of 30,000 square feet and a new entrance way, will also create improved spaces for the exercise science, sport, physical education and recreation department, classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices and the wrestling program.
Part of the goal in renovating the facility is to make it easier to navigate and to give the recreation sports operation a higher-profile location, Fenning noted.

Next to the Fieldhouse, work will begin this fall on an eight-court indoor tennis center. The facility, which will cover a portion of the existing outdoor courts, will be heated and air-conditioned and feature a pro shop, lounge and elevated spectator area. It will also have locker facilities for the ODU tennis teams and other users.

“Our intention is to reposition the outdoor tennis area to include up to 12 courts,” Fenning said.

The tennis center should be completed in late 2005 or early in the spring 2006 semester. It will be available to the public through the sale of annual memberships.

For those who are into golf, the city of Norfolk’s new nine-hole course was expected to open July 4. Located next to the university’s Powhatan Field, the links-style course features two par 5 holes, three par 4’s and four par 3’s.

Complete with clubhouse, pro shop and facilities for ODU’s men’s and women’s intercollegiate golf teams, the public course also features a driving range and practice greens.
It is located atop the highest land mass in Norfolk and offers good views of the campus, the city and the Elizabeth River, Fenning said.

Nearby, and scheduled to open this fall, is a new city-financed football stadium for Granby and Maury high schools. ODU opened a new soccer practice field in this area last fall.

Next to the Fieldhouse, ODU’s Athletic Administration Building is also in line to get a new front entrance, along with $5.7 million in intercollegiate athletics-related improvements, including expanded strength-training facilities and new academic support facilities. This work will start in the fall and be completed by fall 2006.

Meanwhile, other sections of the campus will be experiencing renovation and new construction over the next three years. Among the many projects is a new student housing quad, which will be located where the Fieldhouse parking lot now sits, and an expanded University Village. In the works for the Village are a hotel, parking garage, research facilities, grocery store and additional restaurants and retail shops.