NORMAL - Illinois State University students are playing on the campus' new recreational fields and on Friday, ISU officially dedicates the nearly 30-acre Gregory Street complex.

The $2.5 million project, on the corner of a 270-acre plot of ISU-owned property, brings together 12 tennis courts, 17 acres of grassy sports fields, a 100-space parking lot, and an ecologically designed water runoff management system to better handle rainfall.

The area mainly will be used by about 25 ISU student sports clubs and campus recreation services' sports offerings, said Jeff Lopez, ISU recreational services director. Sports clubs play non-ISU teams and campus rec offers intramural competition, he said.

Lopez estimates the six fields can hold about 120 students at a given time. They're designed to accommodate everything from lacrosse to rugby to softball, he said.

"We just had the team captains' meeting (Sept 1), and all the returning students seem excited about the new space, and playing on fields with true dimensions," he said.

For the last decade, the student groups have played on pieces of the 270 acres.

Previously, Lopez noted, fields were spread out: one was near the president's home, another near where the newly constructed bioswale is, and others peppered throughout. "This allows us to consolidate the recreational fields into one space, and we'll now have a parking lot so students won't necessarily have to park in nearby residential streets," he said.

ISU's University Street tennis courts will remain open through September, but will be torn down to make way for a 500-space parking garage. The parking will help alleviate some of the crowding that's resulted from opening the College of Business building.

Last week, construction crews were adding the finishing touches to the area. Grass planted last spring is ready for rough and ready football, soccer and softball players to make use of the area, said Dick Runner, ISU facilities planning director.

The project marks the first use of the former ISU farm property. ISU's trustees approved the project a year ago as part of the university's long-term master plan.

The real estate is three times the size of ISU's historic quad. President Al Bowman has said the growth on Gregory Street will occur in a "deliberately slow manner" over the next 40 to 50 years.

Most of the Gregory Street property still is farmed by the ISU agriculture department, but all livestock was removed and most of the buildings demolished. The university farm moved to the Lexington area in 2001.

The Gregory Street athletic facilities will sit about three-quarters of a mile northwest of the quad. But Bowman said he believes ISU's Redbird shuttle service will keep it accessible to students.

The planned $50 million Recreation and Kinesiology Student Fitness Center will be more of a general-use facility, so it makes sense to keep it on the main campus, Bowman said.

The tennis courts will be used by ISU athletes for practice and matches, and by university students, faculty and staff for recreation. The softball, rugby and soccer fields are intended for ISU intramural clubs.

The project used $1 million from bonds; about $1.2 million from athletics and recreation facility reserves acquired through student fees; and $312,000 from parking system reserves.

---

Field trip

What: ISU Gregory Street fields dedication

When: 2 p.m. Friday

Where: The fields are on Gregory Street, west of the ISU golf course, on grounds that once comprised ISU's 270-acre farm.