Fieldhouse gets the presidential treatment
President of UOIT Tim McTiernan and Durham College president Don Lovisa (centre) were on hand for the grand opening ceremony of the newly converted Campus Fieldhouse. Previously the tennis bubble, the new facility now includes a pair of turf soccer fields.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
It’s goodbye tennis and hello turf.
On Nov. 24, Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology showcased the $500,000 renovation to the former tennis bubble and now the new Campus Fieldhouse.
“We knew there was a demand for it. Students really weren’t interested in playing tennis, they were really interested in using this type of facility,” says Ken Babcock the director of athletics at Durham College.
The previous six clay tennis courts were ripped out this past spring and summer and have been replaced with a pair of artificial turf soccer fields, which can also be used for a variety of intramural sports such as flag football and cricket.
“These kinds of facilities really foster wellness and excitement, activity and the students have showed already, in droves, that they love this facility, so we’re really excited about it,” Babcock says. “Anytime you can add facilities like this to your campus, it’s a tremendous opportunity for students to have great facilities, have great things to do outside the classroom.”
The grand opening event was attended by throngs of students and school staff along with the presidents of both post-secondary institutions.
“This is great for students, it enriches the campus life for both Durham College ad UOIT students (and) brings us all together, which is an important part of the special character of this campus,” says Tim McTiernan, the president of UOIT.
The same was said by Durham College head Don Lovisa, who labelled it as “a fabulous day for Durham and UOIT.”
“The transformation of this facility is absolutely fabulous,” Lovisa said.
Already, the renovated facility, which also includes a new state of the art LED lighting system, sees between 700 and 800 students walk through the door each week.