New stadium near completion in Aurora

With some cooperation from the weather, the Aurora University Spartans soccer and football teams hope to open their 2008 seasons in a new stadium facility with artificial grass.

The new stadium is the first step in a roughly $30 million, three-phase renovation project the school is undertaking based on a master plan developed in 2003.

Tom Hammond, vice president for administration, said improvements for both the athletic and scholastic aspects of the campus are included in the plan.

"We are a viable university and we need to provide more for our students, both athletes and scholars," he said Wednesday. "Actually, many of our athletes are scholars."

The project took a significant step forward this week when it won approval from the Aurora City Council.

Hammond said the opening of a new academic wing in 2006 took away several playing and practice fields, so a new stadium for the football and soccer teams was a priority.

When the facility opens in mid-August, Hammond said it will include a state-of-the-art artificial surface, new seating and a press box. New grandstands, he said, will follow shortly thereafter.

"Our football team has been in a building phase for a number of years and our coaches have been working hard to develop the team," he said. "Having a new facility should be a benefit for them from a recruiting standpoint.

"Our soccer teams have always done well and we expect that to continue as well."

The second phase of the project, an $8.5 million addition to Alumni Hall, is slated to begin this winter or early next spring. Alumni Hall currently houses the Thornton Gymnasium, coaching offices and the university's main dining facilities.

The expansion will add several classrooms, faculty offices and one large lecture hall.

"We need to be adding classroom and faculty space based upon our growing student population," Hammond said. "We have a real need for more space and this addition will accomplish that."

The third and final phase of the project is the construction of a new library and student commons center. That phase, however, is dependent on funding from contributions and donations.

"We're a private university and we don't get to build with tax money, so we need other funding sources," Hammond said. "This phase could be three to five years out and the estimated cost in today's dollars is about $18 million."

Several donations, he said, may come in the form of naming rights for the stadium and other aspects of the project. Those details still are being worked out.