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YSU Penguin Athletics => YSU Penguin Athletics => Topic started by: IAA Fan on April 13, 2010, 06:26:20 AM
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Work gets started on YSU’s WATTS Center
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State University began preparing for the WATTS Center, background, on Monday. The university hopes to have the facility completed by the end of this year.
Youngstown State University got started on its groundbreaking new indoor facility Monday, even if the official groundbreaking is at least a few weeks away.
Construction began on the $10 million WATTS (Watson and Tressel Indoor Training Site) Center, which will be built on the site of YSU’s outdoor track.
University officials hope the facility will be finished by the end of the year. The 125,000-square foot building will have a football field, a track, batting cages, training rooms and offices.
“The joke was that the facility would have something for every team but swimming,” said Matt Morrone, YSU’s athletic business manager. “But even they can use it to run in the offseason.”
The school has secured about half the funding for the project, Morrone said. The first $1 million was donated in 2007 by former YSU football coach Jim Tressel, his wife Ellen and Frank and Norma Watson.
“Obviously if anyone is still willing to give, we’re more than willing to accept,” Morrone said, chuckling.
YSU will be the first school in the Horizon League with an indoor facility, which will allow the Penguins to host the indoor conference track and field meet, as well as area high school indoor meets. It will also be a big tool in recruiting, Morrone said.
And while the WATTS is closely associated with football, the facility will be available for regular students and faculty, too.
“It’s really great for the whole university, not just athletics,” Morrone said.
YSU plans to hold the official groundbreaking at a later date. The school wants Tressel to attend but the Ohio State football coach is currently unavailable due to the Buckeyes’ spring practice.
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I thought the WATTS Center was going to be built across 5th Ave. from the stadium. So I guess YSU will no longer have an outdoor track?
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I thought the WATTS Center was going to be built across 5th Ave. from the stadium. So I guess YSU will no longer have an outdoor track?
I have been trying to get an answer for that question for months now. I will let you know what I find.
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It's my understanding from what I have read and in talking to student athletes on campus is that the current track will be torn out. This will then be replaced with the WATTS center which will have an indoor track. The indoor track from my understanding is way more valuable than an outdoor do to the fact that half the season is indoor season. It is my understanding the team uses Kent States facility a few days a week to practice in their indoor facility, and also make use of the gyms inside of the stadium.
I've heard that the planse for across 5th avenue call for a softball stadium and new tennis courts. I'm not sure why new tennis courts because for the most part the teams make use of the Boardman Tennis Center for most if not all the matches and for most pracitces. So where does this leave the track program...well you got Libertys track right up 5th avenue, and Girards right up 422, I'm sure they could figure something out with one/ or both of them if they need an outdoor track. I would think it would be easier to make that trip than repeated trips to Kent for an indoor facility through the year. I just hope they don't let football use this facility because like a certain troll on thei board says..I hate the football team ::)
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LOL troll you gotta come harder then that. Sticks and stones!
Anyway drove past it today, the track is still in place, some areas are coverd over by dirt. The main sod is almost all the way up. Not sure about new Tennis Courts, but a new softball, soccer field and track are proposed for the west end of 5th ave.
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hey JJ (being civil here ;D)...from what I hear is the current tennis courts are to be torn out for parking? Has anyone else heard that? It's going to be interesting. As far as a softball field goes...did they ever give any consideration to trying to build that lot of land where the old softball field sits. That area is not as creepy anymore with the addition of the courtyard apartments. I would love to see baseball moved on campus down the road. The times games sometimes start would be good for drawing a student crowd maybe. Kids on break, or possibly done for the day could take in a few innings.
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Students don't come to any events--why move baseball for them. Eastwood Field is a great venue for those kids to play in.
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it might be nice, but being almost 20 minutes off campus it's not convenient IP. Possibly be better off playing full time at Cene again. Is it worth what they are paying Eastwood to host them?
As far as the tennis courts go. If they are planning on making the current courts parking, it would be almost a lock IMO that they build new ones. The current courts, though not used by the team much do serve the university in other ways such as classes, and recreation.
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I agree with IP. YSU has a baseball stadium that is 'tops' in the league ...that is why we need to keep it in use.
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Yea I agree IP students don't show up to many sporting events at YSU, it's a nice link to connect Trumbull county and YSU together at Eastwood.
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Where's the outdoor track team practicing now that the construction has begun?
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Moving any sporting event for students is a waste of time.
Offering as an example the Red/White game last week. I could not understand how students would not have flocked to that game. A new season, a new Coach, a new Staff....the sun shone, the day was more than perfect. No band, no cheerleaders, no students...........good grief, were I the students age
I would have loved the event; tho well passed student age, I enjoyed every minute. Can't understand what lacks in student participation. Anybody have any idea why the participation is ALWAYS so poor?
Basketball is no better; no not just in the lean years, they only time they ever packed the rafters was when we had those midnight games, many moons ago.
GO PENGUINS
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Any chance someone in YTOWN can update from time to time with photos for us out of towners?? PLEEEEEASE!!!!
GOOOOOOOOO GUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Any chance someone in YTOWN can update from time to time with photos for us out of towners?? PLEEEEEASE!!!!
GOOOOOOOOO GUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fan,
Ask your contacts in the athletic department if they can setup a web cam, so folks can monitor the construction progress.
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Any chance someone in YTOWN can update from time to time with photos for us out of towners?? PLEEEEEASE!!!!
GOOOOOOOOO GUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fan,
Ask your contacts in the athletic department if they can setup a web cam, so folks can monitor the construction progress.
That is a very good idea!
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Yes, it is a great idea 4. I emailed someone that I know, & she suggested that I email the webmaster. However, they did say that the cam is over at the Williamson site. I am sure they have had more than one in the past.
I wish they would set the cam up for summer camp as well.
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What a surprise. I just tried to check out the Williamson web cam, and the web page is not responding. Maybe they took it down in order to move it to the WATTS site.
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The Williamson webcam has been down for over a month! I have called Ron Cole, but to no avail.
Maybe someone up in Youngstown can get the Williamson webcam back up and also one at the WATTS site.
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Now that OSU has finished spring practice, when is JT coming up for the official groundbreaking?
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Just a quick update. The site has been cleared and graded down to level dirt. There is no construction going on yet. Since about 75% of this facility is basically a warehouse, and warehouses can be constructed very quickly, this facility should go up rapidly. Of course, starting construction would be nice. ;)
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Fan,
What's the latest from your "insiders" on this facility? Nothing has happened at the site for over 3 weeks now.
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I have been told (unidentified source) that we should not worry. Waiting for the weather to stop raining. Source of heating has now been decided, heat will originate from below ground (very green minded saving energy and overall cost). Some extra contracting and planning involved. No problem. Keys are scheduled to be turned over to YSU just before Christmas of 2010. All is on schedule.
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Fan,
What's the latest from your "insiders" on this facility? Nothing has happened at the site for over 3 weeks now.
You know, I have not heard anything. That is probably good. My best two sources are a secretary and a receptionist in that area. So if something was wrong, they would have said something. So I would tend to agree with EL's source.
I am interested in that heating EL. I wonder if we can get more info on that?
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Elpenguin
Thanks for the info. I was getting nervous as nothing was happening for the entire month. Your explanation has eased my concerns.
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What is happening at the WATTS Center?
There seems to be no news about it on any web sites. Are they actually digging or is everything at a halt.
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What is happening at the WATTS Center?
There seems to be no news about it on any web sites. Are they actually digging or is everything at a halt.
Someone on the other message board reported that they had some rebar in place, but that was about it.
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Thanks ysuquins4 for the WATTS update:
I am happy that there is some work at the future WATTS site, I plan to be in the Youngstown nieghborhood during the July 4th weekend. I'll stop over at the campus to see the latest changes.
I am looking forward to the 2010 football season.
Go Penguins!!
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New pictures are up on the athletic department's facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=441996&id=156940420553&ref=mf
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Webcam
http://webcam.ysu.edu/view/view.shtml
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Great to see the steel going up.
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I think someone has messed with the camera!?!?!
GOOOO GUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Web cam working now. Looks like this things going to be huge for the school and a long time coming ;D
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Here's a link to the upcoming track schedule. Odd that none of the meets are at home. It shows the Horizon League championships being held in Geneva, even though the Horizon League's website still shows them in Youngstown. I take it this means the facility is way behind schedule?
http://www.ysusports.com/sports/mtrack/2010-11/schedule
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Just looking at the webcam every now and then, the progress on the roof has been extremely slow. It's been 2 months and they still haven't completed it! There has been very little on the sides finished, I don't believe they will complete the WATTS center on the expected time (early 2011)!! It probably won't get completed to June. They sure don't have too many workers working on the project.>:(
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ELPenguin,
When you have a chance, ask Harry Meshel why no meets have been scheduled.
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Maybe they're waiting for more donations. Or there is some kind of advantage to waiting till 2011?
Did any of Obama's stimulus money go to this? If not, is Tim Ryan really doing his job?
I have a friend in the steel building business (big company) and those places "fly" up.
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Where will the outdoor track be? It's kind of dumb to have a state of the art indoor facility and no outdoor. It's like having this indoor football facility, but no place to practice outdoors or hold home games. With this kind of philosophy, we should have torn down the football stadium and built it there. I assume they will be driving to Boardman HS for outdoor practice. No high school tracks have a steeplechase pit.
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It's an indoor football center first. It's a football field that happens to have a track around it. Not the other way around. It's built specifically for football hence the reason no one in the Horizon has one.
Do you want an outdoor track with a football field that is used by the football team to practice on once every 2 years, or an indoor track used everyday by every sport?
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If you talk to our track athletes, they desperately wanted the indoor facility. During the summer, most see no problem practicing at their old high school. Distance runners have the perfect facility in Mill Creek Park.
Long-range plans call for an outdoor track west of Fifth Avenue. That can only happen with a new round of private donations. Compared to having your name associated with the WATTS center, that is going to be a very hard sell to the local fat cats.
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The school will need to step up for the track since a lot of students/staff will be using it for fitness and intramurals
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I understand that they had a planned campus map at that meeting, held on November 15. They are charting out road changes. The primary focus was safety, but I wish I would have been able to see that map. I suspect there are a couple of buildings on there that I would be interested in.
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New pics up at: http://www.ysusports.com/information/facilities/images/WATTS/WATTS_photo_gallery_12-8-10
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By Joe Scalzo
scalzo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
In late October, Matt Morrone heard rumors of an impending thunderstorm — complete with 70-mile per hour winds — and was struck by visions of his $10 million baby, the Watson and Tressel Training Site, suffering some costly growing pains.
“At the time, we only had one side of the roof up,” said Morrone, YSU’s athletic business manager. “I was worried it was going to act as a big sail.
“Fortunately, we didn’t get the wind we were supposed to get.”
Mother Nature hasn’t been so cooperative this month.
Thanks to snowy weather and construction delays, YSU has pushed back the planned opening of the WATTS from late December to mid-February.
“Our winter came a little sooner than everybody anticipated,” he said. “We were scrambling to get some things done that needed to get done before the storm hit. The next few weeks will be key in helping us get caught up.
“It’s going to be a challenge.”
University officials had hoped the facility would be done by the end of 2010, in time for the crucial January football recruiting period. The 125,000-square foot building will have a football field, a track, batting cages, training rooms and offices.
YSU will be the first school in the Horizon League with an indoor facility and the Penguins were planning to host the conference indoor track and field championships on Feb. 26-27. But that meet has been moved to Geneva, Ohio.
“We’d still love to host it, but realistically, we’re not sure we can do it,” said Morrone, who secured Geneva’s indoor facility months ago just in case there were construction delays on the WATTS.
Morrone said the facility is well past the halfway point, with the roof “99 percent done” and the in-floor heating system completely installed.
“That was a huge hurdle to get over, considering the complexity of the system,” Morrone said.
The facility should be 99 percent complete in mid-February, Morrone said. The school may still need to finish some landscaping projects and some exterior finishes, but “we should be able to do everything we want to do inside there.”
Potential recruits should be able to tour the building in January.
“Even where it’s at right now, people can come in and at least see the layout,” Morrone said. “That way, they can kind of get that ‘wow factor,’ which is a huge plus.”
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Fan,
What have your contacts in the athletic department heard about this facility? It now appears that it won't be usable until at least April.
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Fan,
What have your contacts in the athletic department heard about this facility? It now appears that it won't be usable until at least April.
I will see what I can find. Last I heard, the goal was to open by spring ball.
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Story from the Jambar's website. The track team couldn't use it for indoor season, and now they won't be able to use it for outdoor season practice.
http://media.www.thejambar.com/media/storage/paper324/news/2011/03/10/News/Officials.Skeptical.About.New.Watts.Completion.Date-3984644.shtml