There have been ongoing efforts by the University of Indianapolis athletic department to rebuild the collapsed dome since the fabric of the building was ripped at the southern end.
The dome has been on campus for over 16 years until it collapsed this past summer. According to the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Kim Pate, the department was planning to obtain quotes for the construction of a new dome even prior to the collapse. Pate said the fabric of the building had been deteriorating during the last year, made evident by the fact that the south face of the dome, toward Key Stadium, had started to change color.
“We realized we needed to move pretty quickly,” said Pate. “We would start to see tears, or if you were on the inside, you could see daylight, and you’re like, oh my gosh, this is not good.”
The department has been working with an outside vendor who specializes in repairs and evaluations of athletic domes. They have been using patches to keep the damage contained in anticipation of replacing it entirely. However, there was one tear among those fixed recently which had grown too big to fix, leading the department to decide to replace the dome altogether.
Pate said the same company that had been assessing the damages before was selected by the university to install the new dome once the process of bidding ended. The materials will be received in mid-October, with installation taking 30 days. If things continue according to schedule, the new dome will be ready to function sometime in mid-November.
This collapse has affected all of the athletic teams at UIndy because they all use the weight room within the dome. The department needed a way to protect the weight room from the elements while still giving athletes access. According to Pate, the department has used a temporary metal frame to cover the weight room, allowing water to flow away from the area. The use of the temporary covering has enabled the department to keep their weight room functioning normally, although, according to Pate, it has not yet been tested by serious rainfall.
The dome failure has largely impacted the track and field, baseball, softball and golf teams since they utilize indoor practice spaces apart from the normal ones. Both male and female track and field use the dome as their main indoor practice site, as the outdoor facilities have seen better days, according to Pate. In an anonymous letter to the editor, a source familiar with track and field revealed that the dome closure has been extremely disruptive to the team’s training regime.
“Our indoor training calendar has been disrupted for jumping, since they can only jump indoors,” says the source. “Beyond logistics, there is also a safety concern with the Indianapolis heat. The excessive temperatures caused an athlete to faint at a recent practice, with several others forced to stop workouts early due to heat fatigue.”
In addition, baseball and softball teams have been trying to set up a temporary batting cage near the swimming pool bleachers, explained Pate. Similarly, the golf team is setting up its temporary practice area in the same vicinity.
Pate said despite the loss of the dome, none of UIndy’s athletic events have been cancelled so far because the collapse took place over the summer when no major events were scheduled to take place within the facility. However, certain camps that might have intended to use the dome as their rain site might have been affected by the collapse.
Nevertheless, the most serious issues regarding events would arise at the end of the year as track and field events are expected to start being held in the indoor facilities in December, according to Pate. Therefore, the replacement of the dome by the middle of November would be beneficial for the department.
The collapse has also added to the expenses incurred by the athletics department. For example, some expenses have come about as a result of seeking out temporary facilities. Pate said during the July workouts, the normal practice of using the UIndy weight room was done from Beech Grove, with the cost being incurred through renting.
Though the collapse has presented an unforeseen problem for the UIndy athletic department, Pate believes that the reaction to this incident has brought the university together. Members of the athletic staff, university administration, facilities workers and other community partners have collaborated to protect the weight room, deal with any weather concerns and formulate a plan to create a replacement. Now, the department is just waiting on the material to arrive for the new dome in October. If the process of installing the dome takes the projected 30 days, the hope is that the dome will be installed in mid-November before their teams enter their winter seasons.
