Backhoes, front-loaders, and excavators roam what was once a grassy plain behind Norton Road Hall. The 6-acre plot has been reduced to a red-clay wasteland as it is razed for the construction of new campus facilities.
Curtis Monteith, WCU director of Design, Planning, and Construction, says multiple athletic facilities will be open for students by fall 2024.
The area will house three multipurpose athletic fields and a hammer throw cage for the track team. Two of the fields will be designated for intramural sports, while the other will be a soccer field.
Rory Jimerson, director of Athletic Facilities, hopes that the new intramural fields will decrease activity on the fields that are now used by Catamount Athletics.
“We’ve seen a lot of traffic on our practice field from non-Athletics Department related activities… which has been digging up the field,” Jimerson said. Over the phone, he explained that students are “…playing their own soccer matches, ultimate frisbee, golf, whatever it may be, and it’s been damaging our field.”
The addition of these fields will give residents of the lower campus – the new dorms, Norton Hall and the Village – the place to get out and play rather than trek to the fields by the Ramsey Center for intramural sports and activities.
Braden Emerson, a sophomore and current resident of Norton Hall, is eager to use the new fields.
“I think it’s nice to have athletic fields so close to Norton… It’ll definitely be better than walking down to the lower fields” Emerson said.
Abby Brigance, another nearby resident, can’t wait to get out with her dog. “I hope it’s done soon… I know Bud is going to love it!”
