In the summer of 2012, Houghton College broke ground on phase one of the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex and now, over two years later, the third and final phase is just weeks away from completion.
Projected to have been completed several months ago, KPAC faced numerous setbacks resulting in the still unfinished facility. “It’s pretty complex. There were some original design issues early in the project that had to do with sinking the shop drawings,” explained Harold Lord, executive director of athletics. He added that, “The ultra cold winter delayed things further.”
Apart from the extended process of creating shop drawings for the beams and structure of the facility, the most recent and most significant setback was in regards to the flooring of the facility. Originally set to begin in April, Beynon Sports Surfacing was unable to begin laying the flooring due to the delays that took place earlier on in the completion of the project. Then, as Dale Wright, Houghton’s chief business officer, explained, “The athletic flooring company was delayed in a job they were doing before they came to Houghton. Therefore, they were later than we would have liked once everything was ready for them.”
Lord said that that this week he expects a large bulk of the flooring to be completed. This includes the completed track and tennis surfaces ready to be lined. Wright added, “The athletic flooring is scheduled to be completed September 18th and the MVP deck should be finished within the next two weeks”
Despite these setbacks, key areas of the facility have been completed. Coaches and other faculty were able to move into their offices during the week of August 11th, in time for the beginning of preseason. The facilities training room was also up and running beginning August 18th.
Students, faculty, and community members are awaiting for the completion of KPAC and to be begin using the new gym. Houghton sophomore and member of the cross country and track and field teams, Joanna Friesen, expressed her anticipation for the facility saying, “I’m excited to have a legitimate place to do speed workouts in the winter, a place where it’s spacious and safe to practice. For my whole running career a good indoor facility has been two or more hours away, it’s unbelievable that we have one.” She went on to say, “The first day of indoor track practice will be a wonderful privilege, even if it’s a mile repeat day.”
Robert Pool, vice president of student life said, “I’m just excited because for this little place called Houghton, because of this Kerr-Pegula gift we have a facility that many division one schools would love to have. I hope that students feel blessed by this. To have two gyms on campus where they can pursue their wellness goals. It’s a blessing.”
Lord added, “If I was speaking for the coaches, it’s a little bit like Christmas. They’re all excited. It’s a beautiful facility, and it’s so much more convenient. It’s going to enhance recruiting, they’re thankful.”
The completion of KPAC will also bring a lot for students, faculty, and community members. A ribbon cutting ceremony will occur over homecoming and family weekend, October 3-5.