Queens University of Charlotte Athletics

Welcome Center and Field House

The needs of both Mecklenburg County and Queens University of Charlotte have converged to create a unique public/private partnership that will dramatically transform Queens and provide the community a long-awaited recreational facility.

Timeline and History of the Queens Sports Complex:

Sept. 18, 2009: Queens celebrates grand opening of new Sports Complex Saturday
4/24/2009
3/31/2009
3/6/2009
2/14/2009
1/25/2009
1/2/2009
11/22/08
11/10/08
10/31/2008
10/10/2008
8/7/2008
9/29/2007
3/24/2006
9/5/2005
8/10/2005
1/28/2005
6/21/2004



Media Resources (Opens in a new page)

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4/24/09: This weeks update comes in pdf. format.


3/31/2009: Almost ready!!!



























































3/6/2009: Is it time to move in yet?




2/14/2009: What a Valentine's Day Gift!
Photos are courtesy of Wayne Trenkelbach of Intercon

Lots of progress in just a few weeks!

Shouldn't be too long now!

1/25/2009: Bricks are being layed
Photos are courtesy of Wayne Trenkelbach of Intercon

The Field House

Welcome Center

1/2/2009: Great Progress has been made since the last update
Photos are courtesy of Wayne Trenkelbach of InterCon

The Field House

The Welcome Center

11/22/08: Still moving up
Photos are courtesy of Wayne Trenkelbach of InterCon

The Field House

The Welcome Center takes shape

11/10/08: Signs of a building
Photos are courtesy of Wayne Trenkelbach of InterCon

The steel goes up in the Field House

The Welcome Center

10/31/2008: Moving Right Along!
Photos are courtesy of Wayne Trenkelbach of InterCon

A look at the front corner of the Field House

Same view as 10/10 of the Welcome Center. Also note the upgrades to the parking lot in the front of the photo!

10/10/2008: The First Construction Photos!
Provided by InterCon

Looking at the back of the Field House

Looking at the Welcome Center

8/7/2008: Queens' Master Plan for Tyvola Takes Shape
Reprinted from the Charlotte Observer, 8/5/2008
Doug Smith
Columnist

 

Queens University of Charlotte needed athletic facilities, but it was landlocked on its 35-acre Myers Park campus.

Three miles away, Mecklenburg County was sitting on park acreage on Tyvola Road in south Charlotte between South Boulevard and SouthPark mall but had no money to develop it.

In spring 2006, both got what they wanted with the opening of the 65-acre Queens Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park, an unusual public-private partnership.

Today, it's a Next Big Thing that's growing bigger as the university invests in its master development plan on the county's park acreage.

Queens plans to break ground in September on a $6 million construction project that will add a field house/press box and a welcome center to the athletic complex's existing facilities in fall 2009.

Fourteen Queens' varsity sports teams, including track, soccer and lacrosse, use the complex, which is shared with citizens – including seniors and people with disabilities.

“Everybody gets to use it,” said Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Director Jim Garges. “We are all about public recreation. The public is our everybody.”

Also, he said, the Queens complex is in an area of the county that needs more athletic facilities, and it meshes well with the Marion Diehl Center and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Center.

Garges said the county participates in public-private ventures that benefit the public. It has partnered, for example, with other communities to put more park land in service and with soccer and baseball associations on sports facilities.

With Queens, Garges said, “We are working with a partner who needs the same kinds of facilities we do and has a little money to do them.”

The university, which has a 50-year lease on the park land, has pledged to finish its master development plan by 2015. Among other facilities still coming: a tennis center, a grandstand, a baseball field and a softball field.

Bill Nichols Jr., vice president of campus planning and services, estimated investment in the first phase athletic fields and structures at $12 million. Completion of the master plan will require another $10 million to $15 million, he said.

“This has been a super relationship between Queens and the county,” Nichols said. “The county has bent over backwards to help us do this.”

University and county representative meet quarterly, he said, to talk about the partnership and address any issues that might arise.

The venture already is paying off, Nichols said, with Queens teams competing on the athletic fields, people with disabilities using a special adaptive field and seniors exercising on the running track.

The complex is American Disabilities Act-compliant and includes accessible facilities for people with mobility limitations or disabilities.

Queens officials believe the sports facilities will help the 2,300-student university recruit athletes while improving intramural programs by freeing space available on campus.

Today, students drive their cars there or take a team bus, but in the future they will be able to walk or bike.

Nichols said the complex is being integrated into the Little Sugar Creek Greenway System, which students can access at Freedom Park near the university campus.

Queens also is investigating the potential for a shuttle service between the campus and the sports complex, he said.

“We are out here every day during the school year,” Nichols said. “All our home games are played here.”

The fenced competition soccer/lacrosse field is made of synthetic “field turf” and is locked when not in use to prevent damage. It can be rented when Queens isn't using it.

The complex is still being discovered by people who aren't familiar with south Charlotte, and first timers might be taken aback by the 26-foot long, 15-foot tall lion mascot students call Rex.

The sculpture – believed to be the world's largest standing lion statue – was donated by Irwin “Ike” Belk of the department store family. He also gave the money to build the quarter-mile track, Nichols said.

The university and the county say they involved people living near the park in the project from the start.

The design was improved and revamped, Queens officials said, after feedback from neighborhood associations.

Buffers, for example, were increased to 20 feet to preserve more of the natural landscape.

For Queens, officials say, the benefits of the complex extend beyond athletics.

They envision it being used for such academic pursuits as biology and environmental science based on its access to streams and woodland habitats near with the greenway.

Similar partnerships might exist elsewhere in the country, Nichols said, “but we believe this is unique to this area.” 


9/29/2007: Queens University of Charlotte Welcomes “New Cat to Town” 

In a city where having a cat as an athletics mascot reigns supreme – the Charlotte Bobcats, the Carolina Panthers – Queens University of Charlotte unveiled “Rex,” the world’s largest standing lion sculpture, to the Queens and Charlotte communities today during a special dedication ceremony at the University’s Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park, located on Tyvola Road in Charlotte, N.C. “Rex” is the nickname that was given by Queens students in 1988 to represent the University’s lion mascot.

“I hope that the Charlotte community enjoys Queens’ new family member,” said Dr. Pamela Davies, president of Queens. “’Rex’ will be a wonderful addition to the City of Charlotte, serving as a visitor destination and raising awareness of Queens – and Charlotte – among audiences on the regional, state and national level.”

A gift from Queens benefactor Irwin Belk, “Rex” was designed by Sculptor Jon Hair of Jon Hair Studio of Fine Art L.L.C. in Cornelius, N.C., and cast in bronze by a foundry in Sacramento, Calif. After completing a five-day journey across the United States, the sculpture was installed at the entrance to the Queens Sports Complex on August 23. Lifted by crane onto a 12-foot brick pedestal constructed by Rodgers Builders, Queens’ new “Rex” stands an impressive 27 feet in the air, measures 26 feet in length and weighs close to seven tons.

“I am extremely proud of this sculpture and consider it to be among my best works, said Hair. “I began this project in 2005 and my objective from the beginning was to create a significant piece of public art that imparts a strong sense of power, strength and pride. This lion is not just a mascot, but more importantly a symbol of the 150-year tradition of excellence at Queens.”

Mecklenburg County and City of Charlotte representatives, surrounding neighborhood members and local business leaders joined Queens’ students, faculty and staff, to witness the unveiling of the University’s new “monumental” sculpture. In events preceding the dedication, Queens students enjoyed a fall carnival, complete with cookout fare and a host of intramural games. Later, attendees congregated around the Championship Field to watch the women’s soccer team, one of Queens’ 16 NCAA Division II teams, compete against Armstrong Atlantic University.

The Queens Sports Complex, a planned $15 million project, is a 65-acre facility that is the result of a joint partnership between Mecklenburg County and Queens, and serves all segments of the population, including senior citizens, people with disabilities and Queens’ student-athletes.

3/24/2006: Queens Sports Complex Dedication a Success

Leaders from Queens University of Charlotte, together with Mecklenburg County officials and other special community

organizations, today held a dedication event for Queens' new 65-acre sports complex at Marion Diehl Park on Tyvola Road, in Charlotte, N.C. The Queens Sports Complex, a planned $15 million project, is the result of a joint partnership between Mecklenburg County and Queens that will dramatically transform the University and provide the Charlotte community with a long-awaited recreational facility.

"Mecklenburg County has envisioned an expanded complex on the Marion Diehl property for nearly 20 years that would service all segments of the population, including our senior citizens and people with disabilities," said Mecklenburg County Commissioner Parks Helms. "Our public/private partnership with Queens will allow Charlotte to serve as a national model for quality and collaborative facilities that better accommodate all citizens of the community."

Queens University of Charlotte President Dr. Pamela Davies joined Commissioner Helms and Queens Board of Trustees member John Sykes in the dedication ceremony. Special Olympics Athlete Brian Farmer; Jeannie King, director of athletics for Queens; and Queens President's Advisory Circle Co-Chairs Bill and Kathy Grigg officially marked the opening of the Queens Sports Complex by turning the key to the championship field's gate doors.

Constructed by Rodgers Builders and designed by Jenkins Peer Architects, the Queens Sports Complex will include recreation/competition facilities for track, soccer, tennis, lacrosse and softball and baseball, as well as walking trails, grandstand seating, a field house and a wheelchair-accessible field.  To date, the soccer and lacrosse field (Championship Field), adaptive field for people with disabilities, and running track have been completed. The field house and grandstand are to be completed in 2007; remaining projects are scheduled for completion over the next five years.

"Queens, in collaboration with Mecklenburg County, has created a project that is consistent with the county's master plan, complimentary to the objectives of the existing Senior and Marion Diehl Centers and environmentally sensitive and respectful of the surrounding neighborhoods," added Dr. Davies. "The new facilities will feature state-of-the-art technology and amenities specifically crafted to provide Queens students and Charlotte citizens with an unequalled community sports venue."

When completed, the Queens Sports Complex will significantly enhance the University's varsity sports programs and its ability to attract top student-athletes. In addition, it will also improve Queens' intramural programs by freeing up space available on campus.

"We are excited about the new sports complex and the positive impact it will have on Queens' athletic program," said Jeannie King, director of athletics for Queens University of Charlotte. "The facility will help us achieve our full potential and really excel in NCAA Division II athletics."

In addition to neighborhood associations, the Queens Sports Complex garnered support from several community organizations that had a helping hand in the complex's design and development, including Special Olympics North Carolina, Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Advocacy Council for People with Disabilities and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Centers, Inc.

 "As a member of Special Olympics North Carolina, I'm looking forward to using Queens' new sports complex on a year-round basis to help improve my physical fitness and soccer skills," said Brian Farmer, a Special Olympics North Carolina athlete from Cabarrus County. "Like Special Olympics North Carolina, the Queens Sports Complex will help change attitudes and lives by providing Special Olympics athletes like myself with a venue to showcase our talents, competitive spirit and abilities."

Following the dedication ceremony, attendees congregated on the Championship Field to watch the Queens Womens' Lacrosse team, ranked #7 in the nation, practice in preparation for their match against Belmont Abbey College the following day. 

To date, Queens University of Charlotte has raised $6.7 million in funds to support the construction of its new sports complex. Donation opportunities remain available.

 
9/5/2005:

For months, the aerial views of the Queens Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park have shown a clay landscape leaving little for the imagination to visualize.

This week, the aerial views show something markedly different. A robin hood green of rich turfgrass and painted boundaries for athletic competition is now in place. One can almost imagine the coaches in athletics singing, "Oh happy day....." This is an exciting and long awaited day for the athletics department.

The sports complex has been in discussion and planning for over two years. The sight of this new athletic field quickens the pulse as a reminder of what is still yet to come. This field is just the first installment of a larger plan for what will be a world class facility. One coach was heard to say,"This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

Says Vice President of Administration and Operations Laurie S. Guy, "This is a win-win for all involved. These facilities will enhance the athletic programs at Queens and will allow the University to expand and be more involved in the community."

The facility will serve many purposes for the University. The complex will serve as a strong recruiting tool for coaches, which should translate to stronger athletic programs. The complex better fits the image of a university that is growing and improving along side the City of Charlotte. The facility will serve as an added benefit for students considering Queens, which will aid enrollment. Finally, the facilities will be open for public use, which fits the mission of Queens to be more actively involved with the community.

The target date for the first game on the new surface is tentatively being scheduled for October 19 when the men's soccer team hosts UNC Pembroke. The adaptive field should be completed by the end of October and the track and field facility is planned to be completed by the spring of '06.

The field is a state-of-the-art type turf that is a far cry from the artifical turf seen in the sixties and seventies. The new turf is made of a plastic blend, which turf makers say is as soft as real grass blades. The "grass" is held in place by a mixture of silica sand and rubber granules, made from old tires and sneaker rubber. Manufacturers of the turfgrass expect it to have a lifespan of between ten and fifteen years which greatly reduces the cost of annual natural turf maintenance.

Says Jennifer Trevisol, vice president construction operations at Rogers Builders, "With the main infrastructure now in place, we will be able to fill in the pieces that will make this property look beautiful and ready for use. Very little has deviated from the original plans and we are very happy with the progress thus far."

The future of Queens athletics is about to make a dramatic change! Stay tuned to the Queens Web site for the official announcement of the first game to be played on this great new field!

8/10/2005: Queens Sports Complex Receives Federal Funding

Queens University of Charlotte announced today that it has received $725,000 for the Queens Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park as part of a federal government transportation bill. North Carolina Senator Richard Burr sponsored the effort to include this project with the bill. Funding will enhance the park’s infrastructure, which includes parking lots, sidewalks and other accessibility improvements.

"I was pleased to be able to help Queens University of Charlotte and the people of Mecklenburg County with this project. With this funding, a 20 year-old plan will be one step closer to becoming a reality," said Senator Burr.

The first phase of construction is underway, and will include a soccer/lacrosse stadium, a track and field complex and an artificial turf field that can be accessed by persons with disabilities. Total financial support for the project now totals under $6 million.

“This project continues to gain momentum, and we look forward to both our athletic teams and the community being able to use these facilities beginning this fall,” said Queens President Pamela L. Davies. “We are truly grateful for Senator Burr’s support as well as others in our local, state and federal delegations that have gotten behind this project.”

Queens continues to raise funds to complete the second and third phases of the complex which include a fieldhouse, baseball, tennis and softball facilities. Chairing the Campaign Committee are Ben Jenkins, Wachovia’s Head of the General Bank, and Krista Tillman, North Carolina President for BellSouth.

1/28/2005: Queens Sports Complex Surpasses $5 Million in Gift Commitments 

(L-R) Pamela Lewis, Queens University of Charlotte President, and Ben Jenkins, Wachovia's Head of the General Bank

Queens University of Charlotte announced today during its Sports Complex Groundbreaking ceremony at Marion Diehl Park that it has received a commitment of $1 million from The Wachovia Foundation. The Bank of America Foundation and BellSouth Telecommunications have also made corporate commitments. In addition, Queens received two other individual commitments of $1 million each.

"I am very encouraged by the initial responses we have received from the corporate community for this project, and am certainly proud of the fact that The Wachovia Foundation has made a significant investment as well. It is important for the corporate community to join individual donors in supporting this project not only because it is good for Charlotte, but also because it provides a national model for successful public-private partnerships,” said Ben Jenkins, Wachovia’s Head of the General Bank and co-chair for the Sports Complex Campaign. Jenkins also serves as vice-chairman for Queens’ board of trustees.

The first phase of construction for the Queens Sports Complex will begin in the next 30 days, and will include a soccer/lacrosse stadium, a track and field complex, and an artificial turf field that can be accessed by persons with disabilities.

“We are delighted that this project continues to gain momentum and look forward to both our athletic teams and the community being able to use these facilities beginning with the fall season in 2005,” said Queens President Pamela Lewis. “The corporate community has really stepped up and helped fund this project in conjunction with a number of generous alumni and friends.”

"The last two months of 2004 really moved this fundraising effort into high gear," noted Patton McDowell, vice president for university advancement. "We had the generosity of Ed & Jan Brown, Irwin Belk, and Edwin & Lou Jones to get this project off the ground early in the year, and it is really rewarding to see their vision for the project become a reality."

To complete the second and third phase of the complex which includes a fieldhouse, baseball, tennis and softball facilities, the campaign committee will continue to seek another seven million in private support to finish the project before Queens’ Sesquicentennial in 2007.

The Groundbreaking ceremony took place at noon in Parker Hall at the Senior Center at Marion Diehl Park, and included representatives from the Mecklenburg County Commission and the Park and Recreation Commission, in addition to campaign co-chairs Jenkins and Krista Tillman, North Carolina president for BellSouth. Homeowners’ Association representatives from neighboring Selwyn Park and Madison Park were also in attendance.

(L-R) Joddy Peer, Parks Helms, W.L. Jones, Krista Tillman, Pamela Lewis, Ben Jenkins, Bill Vandiver, Lou Jones, Jeannie King, Bruce Mottern

6/21/2004: Queens Sports Complex to be Flagship for Artificial Turf in Charlotte
Reprint from The Charlotte Observer
HOWIE PAUL HARTNETT
Staff Writer

Local aspiring athletes soon won't have to wait for college or the pros to play on artificial turf.

Two of the new fields Queens University of Charlotte plans to construct at Marion Diehl Recreation Center will be covered with a synthetic surface made from an alchemy of rubber, sand and plastic.

The $1.5 million fields will operate as part of a regular park open to the public — though Queens' soccer and lacrosse teams will have first dibs on the field with taller "grass." The Diehl Center will run programs for seniors and people with disabilities on the short-turf field.

If the fields are as durable and weather-resistant as supporters say, turf could begin growing beneath the cleats of athletes across the county. Such a move would put Charlotte in league with Los Angeles, New York, Asheville, Greensboro and other communities turning to turf to relieve well-worn natural fields.

This isn't the same stuff you remember cropping up in the late '60s and '70s that was blamed for injuries and came in colors found nowhere in nature.

The new breed of fake weed is made of a plastic blend, which turf makers say is as soft as real grass blades. The "grass" is held in place by a mixture of silica sand and rubber granules, made from old tires and sneaker rubber.

The result, industry officials say, is a turf able to withstand constant use for years without tearing. It drains water quickly, so rain rarely cancels games. And maintenance is occasionally raking or hosing down the surface to make sure the fake "earth" is evenly distributed.

FieldTurf Inc., a major turf manufacturer, estimates its product costs about double what sod costs to install, but sod is 10 times more expensive to maintain — $52,500 a year for grass vs. $5,000 for turf. A Mooresville-based company, Medallion Athletic Products, just installed public turf fields in Asheville that Medallion Vice President Pat Underhill said will pay for themselves in three years.

Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Director Wayne Weston said his calculations show public turf fields in Charlotte could recoup installation costs in five years.

This type of turf is still so new that no one knows how long it will last, but industry estimates range from 10 to 15 years.

After more than three years of daily stomping, the two outdoor fake-grass fields at UNC Chapel Hill have some stressed seams, but no other signs of wear. The fields cost nearly $1 million.

"But for what we got out of it, there's no comparison" with grass fields, said Mary Pomerantz, director of campus recreation. "It's the best thing we've ever done on this campus."

Appalachian State University has had artificial turf for more than 25 years. But when school officials traded AstroTurf for the more grass-like FieldTurf in Kidd Brewer Stadium last year, the difference was immediate, Athletic Director Roachel Laney said.

"The biggest problem we've had with it is too many people want to use it," he said. "It's truly an unbelievable product."

The $560,000 field is used by varsity teams, club and intramural teams, physical education classes and even the band. A natural grass field could never serve so many purposes without turning into a large brown spot.

"I can't imagine why more people don't go to it, especially if you have high-traffic use," Laney said.

The traffic is always high on Mecklenburg County's fields. Officials rarely erect lights around fields anymore because it will only increase use, Weston said.

"Just in soccer, we are 91 fields behind where we should be of like-sized cities across America," he said. "That first facility (at Marion Diehl) is going to be our pilot that we're going to generate a lot of numbers out of."

If the numbers add up, Weston intends to put fake fields across the county. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials are researching artificial turf as well.

Construction money likely would come from bonds or partnerships, such as the one with Queens, park and recreation officials said.

The university is paying $15 million to build tennis courts, a track, walking trails, a baseball field, a softball field and the two turf fields, among other amenities. The county is providing the land.

Maintenance costs for the complex will be split between Queens and the county, said Patton McDowell, vice president of university advancement.

The $6 million first phase — which includes the turf fields — is expected to start this fall, once Queens raises the money and gets its building plans approved by county and Charlotte officials.

Construction is expected to take less than a year.