Farrand Field will be closed for one year and several basketball courts and athletic fields will be installed or upgraded this summer as $5.7 million in student-funded improvements begin at the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.
Recreation Services officials will break ground at Farrand Field May 30 at 12:30 p.m. to signal the start of four campus projects.
Before fall classes begin in August, crews expect to renovate the natural turf and install lights at Franklin Field east of Folsom Stadium, install artificial turf and lights for three club and intramural sports fields at Kittridge Field, and construct four lighted outdoor basketball/multi-use courts on the east side of the Coors Events/Conference Center.
Farrand Field will be closed for one year after the Aug. 25 Global Jam event for major renovations. The field will be leveled, new sod and drainage systems will be installed, an 18-inch-high stone sitting wall and wrought-iron fence will be constructed around the field's perimeter, and a 50- by 30-foot permanent concrete stage will be installed on the north side of the field for concerts and other events. The field is expected to be re-opened in time for the 2007 fall semester.
The improvements are funded by a $10.75 student fee that will be assessed each semester for 20 years beginning in fall 2006. The projects were initially requested by students in spring 2002, and students passed a referendum authorizing the projects one year later. Final approval was given by the student-run Legislative Council in April 2005.
The new Farrand Field stage will be an open pavilion for students, Program Council concerts and other events. The surrounding stone sitting wall, funded by donations from the graduating class of 2006, will border the north and west sides of the field, with wrought-iron fencing on the south and east sides. A stone arch entryway, a gift from the class of 2004, will be installed on the west side of the field, and additional stairways will access the field from other points.
The four projects are the first phase in a comprehensive plan to improve outdoor recreational needs at CU-Boulder. Future projects include expanding fields and recreational facilities to the south campus.
For a map of the CU-Boulder campus visit .