6/29/2010
By BOB DAVIDSON Salina Journal

During his first trip to Kansas Wesleyan, one campus structure caught Fletcher Lamkin's attention -- for the wrong reasons.

"When I came here in January, (Glenn Martin) Stadium was the first thing that caught my eye," Lamkin said of the school's vacated and dilapidated facility.

Shortly thereafter, Lamkin was hired as Wesleyan's new president and he got a up-close look at what has become little more than a campus eyesore. What he saw was even worse than his first impression.

"The structure itself is falling apart," Lamkin said. "There are pieces of the exterior rock that have separated and are coming down, which creates a hazard. It leaks underneath. The fence around it is a little bit dilapidated.

"The turf itself is not supportive of our athletic teams, and we need a place to practice. With the grass field and the condition it's in, the way it's laid out, it doesn't take but one rainy day and it's ruined for the year.

"At the time we had a bunch of junk stored around it and the doors leading into the back of the stadium were in bad shape. We've cleaned the area up as much as we can so it has a good appearance, but the reality is it's beyond its last legs and needs to go."

That's what Wesleyan's football and soccer teams have done. The football team has played its games at Salina Stadium the past three seasons; the soccer teams compete at various locations around town.

Six months after his hiring, Lamkin's angst has evolved into action. Working with Wilson & Company, a Salina-based architectural and engineering firm, Lamkin is developing a proposal for a new complex on the parcel of land east of the campus bordered by Claflin and Cloud streets to the north and south, and Fourth and Osborne streets to the west and east.

The project would cost approximately $5 million and would entail construction of:

na refurbished football facility where Martin Stadium stands.

nnew soccer field to the east of the football field, on the site where the Coyote football team currently practices, just west of Osborne.

n stands located between the football and soccer fields that would rotate depending on which field a game is being played.

n two new tennis courts in addition to the four that exist, which would be resurfaced.

n a new baseball/softball practice area located at the northwest corner.

The football, soccer and baseball/softball areas would have new synthetic turf surfaces, allowing teams to practice on the fields in which they play.

Martin Stadium would get new stands, a new concession area and rest rooms and a renovated press box, all of which would be moved farther to the south.

Lamkin said architects are optimistic Martin's trademark rock facade can be retained.

"Their plan is to try to incorporate pieces of Martin Stadium to preserve the history that's there," he said. "We want to respect it and preserve it as much as we can while at the same time moving forward to provide a stadium that supports our students and our spectators."

A tentative target date for completion is the fall of 2013.

Lamkin, though, emphasizes the project is in the planning stages and nothing has been signed or is guaranteed.

"We have not seen the design yet," he said. "We've just seen some concepts, but we're excited about their ideas."

Football coach Dave Dallas agrees.

"It would enhance things tremendously in all aspects, not just football," he said. "It would cover a lot of our outdoor sports. It would develop that sense of campus support we need for each other and the overall attitude on campus.

"Recruitment would really be helped, along with the Student Activities Center, and would give us one of the best small college campuses in the state of Kansas."

Lamkin's hope is to present concepts and diagrams of the proposed facility to trustees for approval during their annual meeting in October. If approved, "serious" fundraising would begin immediately.

Sacred Heart High School use the football field, as it does Martin Stadium, and is assisting with fundraising efforts.

"We have contacted some people already, but I'm somebody who doesn't ask for money for a project until I know what the project is and what it's going to cost," Lamkin said. "I need to be able to give the donor the truth rather than hope. I'm going to wait and see what the truth is."

Lamkin's said his steadfast objective is to raise all of the money for the project, which could alter the 2013 target date.

"That's not a promise, not even an estimate," he said of 2013. "It's what we're conceiving of with any architectural plans and, frankly, without a good feel for what the excitement will be among our supporters to raise money for this stadium.

"I do not intend to put the college in any kind of debt for this stadium. We have not taken financial risk and have not incurred large debt over the years. We have some debt from the Student Center and I don't want to add to that with this project. Our goal is to raise all the money we need."

One obstacle could be access to Fourth Street and the railroad tracks to the west.

"We will need access to that Fourth Street area to really make the most of the space available," Lamkins said. "Once we get the architectural plans, we're going to have to see what the city's willing to do to support this project in terms of access on Fourth Street.

"(Wilson & Company) are very savvy to the city, they know what we can and can't do with regard to what the city can support."

Renovating Martin Stadium is part of the school's ongoing attempts to upgrade the overall campus, Lamkin said.

"We started on the west end of campus and worked our way east," he said. "I think we've got to be conservative and yet we've got to be progressive in what we do. We have to take on those projects that are the highest priority and give the greatest benefit to the students and the community."

* Sports editor Bob Davidson can be reached at 822-1404, or by e-mail at bdavidson@salina.com

---

Discuss This Story:

---