OU Softball - Construction Activity

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OUBeliever56A
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OU Softball - Construction Activity

Post by OUBeliever56A »

A friend shared that he saw construction activity on the new stadium site last night. He said a perimeter fence has been added, a construction trailer is in place and some dirt work had started.

I have seen the the trailer there before the rest is new. It is not much, but there is activity.
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

I had this sent to me today via email.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=r ... rojector=1

IF you cannot open the link, the text is below.

Wow, $47.9 million!

I did see 3 men and a single backhoe yesterday about noon digging around a power/transformer box. I guess that is a start. $500 dollars spent.
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

Love's Field Project Update

On Wednesday, the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents met to discuss various facility projects related to OU Athletics, including Love’s Field. As part of this meeting and the completion of the final bid process, the project budget for Love’s Field has increased from $42M to $47.9M to account for inflated construction costs.

Although this presents a need for additional funding to the project, construction continues to move forward as planned as underground utility work has begun on the future site of Love’s Field and further construction work is scheduled to commence during the middle of December. Plans remain for Love’s Field to open for the 2024 OU softball season.

This facility project is part of the university’s recently announced capital campaign, “Lead On.” This comprehensive $2 billion campaign will impact every area of the university, including OU Athletics. It is the most ambitious fundraising plan in OU Athletics’ history with a focus on world-class facilities and resources to provide a transformative student-athlete experience.

You have been instrumental in making Love’s Field a reality as you’ve locked arms with over 900 donors who have directly invested over $31M to this project – the most fundraised for a female-specific facility project in college athletics history. From an original estimated cost of $25M to today’s updated budget, you have been constant in your commitment to establish a world-class facility for our iconic program. Thank you for your unwavering investment in Oklahoma softball and Love’s Field!

Should you have interest in discussing the latest information surrounding the project or the status of an existing pledge toward Love’s Field, please contact your Sooner Club representative directly or call our Sooner Club office at (405) 325-8000.
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Post by TropicalSooner »

I guess the delay in the construction was due to completing the paperwork and final construction bid and then had to wait for a BOR meeting for approval.
At least we are on our way now.
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

Here is my response to a poster on another site when he said......."It's hard to believe the cost has doubled over the last two or three years."

If the Administration would have just 'bit the bullet' and believed that the Softball community would raise the money to build that new stadium, Today we would be getting ready to open the Spring in the new Stadium with 3500 seats and probably making plans to expand that to 4500 for the next season. Grace Lyons and Grace Green would get to play their final season in the stadium that they helped generate the need to build. As excited as we are for 2023 to get here, imagine if a new stadium was squarely in front of the Sooners and the Sooner fans.

Instead.....

The Classes of 2020 and 2021 will be the players that initiate the new Love's Field with 2 or maybe 3 national championship rings on their fingers. Hansen, Boone, Coleman, Jennings and May as "Sooner Freshman-to-Senior" players will do the honors for the Sooners. It will also signal the last of the 5-Class seasons for D1 Softball as COVID passes further away in the rear-view mirror. The double-class of Sooner Seniors will have began the passing the Sooner Way to the new incoming freshman class of Pickering, McEnroe-Marianas, Parker and Bland. The passing of the Sooner Way will be completed as the move from the fall in Marita Hynes Field to the new Love's Field in the spring takes place. Six-to-Seven weeks of practicing on the new grass and 'dirt' at home and the two or three weeks of playing away from home will pass quickly for the players and fans. Then BOOM! Bahl records a strikeout. Coleman hits a ball in the gap for a stand-up double. Jennings hits a Home Run, Hansen hits an even bigger Home Run. Boone stretches a single into a double as she slides into second with a standup fist pump looking at the Sooners bench. The on-field architects have said hello to the new stadium in the first inning. THE architects of the program at 3rd Base and in the Dugout, just smile and look upward as the Sooner fans stand and just keep clapping, and clapping.

If only the Administration would have had the faith of this team a couple of season ago.

Boomer Sooner!
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Post by TN Sooner »

While I generally agree with this sentiment, the university/athletic department just doesn’t operate that way - even with football. They’ve never started a major project that wasn’t “pre-funded” to at least 50-75% levels. Even going way back to the west side upper deck and santee club. That project was pre-funded by donor commitment. Remember, the funding for these things are thru the foundation and the foundation has very limited ways to access capital. Foundation assets are largely earmarked (restricted, actually) for specific purposes. Not available to use for new projects and not available as collateral to fund new projects.

Also, imagine they had committed 2 years ago and then found themselves in the middle of a pandemic?

I’d love to know the details of how a $30 million plan becomes a $48 million (and probably more) budget. While certainly inflation is probably $8-10 million, I suspect the scope of the project “grew” (not size necessarily, but amenities) for the other “stuff” the Sooner ladies earned for themselves.
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

There is now real construction activities at the Love's Field site. The finished the perimeter fences complete with black-no-see-thru covering last week. Today, a TracHoe was tearing up the concrete of the east-west road within the property and pitting it in a dump truck. There was a rubber-tired backhoe digging holes around electrical lines as well as a small Bobcat smoothing dirt piles and other things around staked off holes where digging had occurred.

I did notice some additional staking inside the work area was also new.
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Post by Bixby_Sooner »

OUBeliever56A wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:16 am There is now real construction activities at the Love's Field site. The finished the perimeter fences complete with black-no-see-thru covering last week. Today, a TracHoe was tearing up the concrete of the east-west road within the property and pitting it in a dump truck. There was a rubber-tired backhoe digging holes around electrical lines as well as a small Bobcat smoothing dirt piles and other things around staked off holes where digging had occurred.

I did notice some additional staking inside the work area was also new.
Pics or it didn't happen. j/k Thanks for the update(s) OUB56A!
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

More activity noticed yesterday (12/20/2022).

It looks like they are finished removing the road from the area.
I also noticed that most of the trees are now down and being gathered to dispose of. There are still a few smaller trees on the south side of the property. I don't know if they are going to be left or if they just have not got to them yet.
Dirt is being moved around as well.
It is hard to see details but it looked like a trench (I would guess for drainage) was being dug as well.
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

Update as of Friday, Dec 23rd:

I would say that about 80% of the area inside the fence has been totally cleared of all trees, playground equipment, roads and grass. It looks like things have been 'leveled somewhat by dirt movers. The area at the south end of the property is largely undisturbed with trees and grass remaining. Maybe that area will be the entry area to the stadium.

There are some of those concrete manholes around on the property with drainage pipe in place.

Work is progressing.

Boomer Sooner!
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Post by OUBeliever56A »

Here is a picture of the construction area.
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Post by TN Sooner »

I hope SoonerSports.com will set up cameras and do some time-lapse videos for our pleasure. I love watching those things.
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Post by Bixby_Sooner »

TN Sooner wrote: Sun Dec 25, 2022 8:44 am I hope SoonerSports.com will set up cameras and do some time-lapse videos for our pleasure. I love watching those things.
At someone's earlier suggestion, I emailed both SoonerSports and OU's media department with this very suggestion. I've yet to hear back from either, so it's doubtful, but we can always hope/wish.
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Post by TropicalSooner »

OUBeliever56A wrote: Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:07 am Update as of Friday, Dec 23rd:

I would say that about 80% of the area inside the fence has been totally cleared of all trees, playground equipment, roads and grass. It looks like things have been 'leveled somewhat by dirt movers. The area at the south end of the property is largely undisturbed with trees and grass remaining. Maybe that area will be the entry area to the stadium.

There are some of those concrete manholes around on the property with drainage pipe in place.

Work is progressing.

Boomer Sooner!
Thanks for all your updates on the construction of our Softball stadium. Appreciate all the news you bring us..
Also, can't wait for your upcoming softball post.
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Post by Bixby_Sooner »

I just found this posted on Twitter- I especially like seeing them stake the launch point of all future dingers:

A commitment is NOT a reservation - Brent Venables 3/21/22
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