Woodlawn Field necessitates extra repairs because of drought

IU Recreational Sports closed down Woodlawn Field early this year because of the hazardous conditions the recent drought brought to the field.

Jacqueline Puterbaugh, associate director of Campus Recreational Sports, said the field was not built for competitive use but was intended for physical education classes.

She said currently the field is not level, lacks sports lighting and has no irrigation
system.

When it rains, the water runs off into the field without proper draining, but without the rain, the ground has turned hard.

The renovation of Woodlawn Field, although not an academic priority, is nonetheless becoming a priority for Recreational Sports because of several student injuries that occurred on the field.  

Puterbaugh said it’s a struggle because there is really no other place for students to engage in outdoor activities.

“We’re landlocked,” Puterbaugh said. “There’s not a lot of land to use.”

The proposal is to level the field, add an irrigation system, install sport lighting and add new turf; however, with all these changes, the budget to renovate the field would require at least $2 million in funds.

Recreational Sports does not have a capital fund of its own and goes to the University to request funding.

But with the current economic situation, money coming in to the University from the state is decreasing, Puterbaugh said.

She said Recreational Sports has had to make many sacrifices to prioritize other renovations, and Woodlawn Field is sidelined in terms of change.

There have been leaks in the roof at Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center, and only recently, Puterbaugh said, were the necessary repairs made.

“It’s very hard to find funds,” Puterbaugh said.

“Recreational Sports knows that things need to be done and considers them a priority, but there just isn’t funds.”

Three years ago, Recreational Sports implemented a policy that closed Woodlawn Field from Thanksgiving through spring break to maintain the field during the winter.

Regular maintenance of the field during that time is from $3,000 to $5,000.

Puterbaugh said the field needs aerating, and for the best results the contractors are waiting for more rain so the ground can soften.  

The necessary steps to ensure safe use of the field by spring are for new grass to grow and the field to be leveled, but even that, Puterbaugh said, would require tens of thousands of dollars.

Puterbaugh said there is a potential chance that the field will have to remain closed if the necessary changes are not made and the field is still considered unsafe for use.

“We are doing whatever we can to make this field available,” Puterbaugh said.

— Lubna Safi