New turf field increases intramural access to meet student needs

A new turf field has opened on the south side of the SUNY New Paltz campus, providing more available space for students to participate in intramural and club sports.

“We realized that students were missing out on being able to do certain activities,” said Athletic Director Stuart Robinson. “Over the last couple of years, the weather in the fall has been so bad that we’ve had to close fields as a result. Intramural and club sports have been frustrated and limited in terms of having access to do the things that they love.”

Added Vice President of Student Affairs David Rooney, “Student Affairs has seen an increased demand for recreational and club sport opportunities over the past several years. Building a new turf field was the best way to provide a venue to meet this ever-increasing demand.”

Some of the new turf field’s features include a multi-sport scoreboard; a 4-foot PVC-coated fence around the perimeter, with four 12-foot-wide double gates at each corner for “greater player access and egress”; a 20-foot safety net; a 30-foot flagpole; and a handicap-accessible walkway from the road to the field, said Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management John Shupe.

Underneath the field, a “state-of-the-art drainage system” includes a water collection device to filter the water exiting the field before it enters the town’s storm water line, said Shupe.

The total cost of the turf field project was $1.4 million, which includes $150,000 in design costs; $25,000 in laboratory testing; and roughly $1.2 million in construction, according to Shupe.

“It’s a beautiful field, and a great addition to campus,” said Robinson. “A lot of groups are excited to be able to go on with their programming.”