Renovations on the Rec center’s indoor track began on Tuesday, Oct. 26. As the old track is being torn apart, some may anticipate how it will look and how long the process will take. Mike Powicki, Wayne State’s athletics director, and Michael Barry, associate director of athletics, are big parts of this long awaited project.

The current track that is being torn apart has been in the Rec center for approximately 19 to 20 years.

“A track is supposed to last 15 years maybe at the most, so it’s really outlasted,” Barry said.

Concerns for a new track began to rise as the current one was becoming unsafe.

“It was deteriorating, it was to the point where we knew we had to do something,” said Powicki.

Barry recalls seeing holes and tears in the track, it simply was not a good look for our Rec Center.

“It really needed to be done because it was unsafe, our track kids couldn’t really train on it,” Barry said.

Plans for a new track have been on the table for about seven to eight years now. A booster for this project was the Nebraska State College System’s Sports Facility Cash Fund.

“It’s a grant program where you can apply for funds. Which we did at Wayne State specifically for this project,” Powicki said.

About 199,000 dollars are being put into the new track, all coming from the Sport’s Facility Cash Fund. According to Barry and Powicki, they have received a positive reaction to the announcement of a new track, specifically from the track team.

This project will definitely be an upgrade from our current track. The new track will have another layer on top of it providing a great running surface for users. The track is planned to be painted black and gold making it unique to WSC and adding aesthetic to the Rec Center. Nov. 15 is the anticipated date for when the new track should be finished.

“The crew is really good and really on it, so we’re hoping they’ll get done with it,” Barry said.

Although there is construction happening to the indoor track, the Rec Center is still open for use. Powicki and Barry are hoping the fitness center won’t have to be shut down for a period of time, however, some days areas may have to be closed for the painting of the track. For the most part, construction should not impact the hours and availability of the Rec center.