Scheduled for completion in time for the 2019–20 academic year, the five projects will provide: 

• expanded and improved space for Bates Sports Medicine in Merrill Gymnasium;
• a new modular turf system for Underhill Arena, creating additional multipurpose athletics space;
• a new natural grass surface for Russell Street Field;
• improvements to the Davis Fitness Center in Underhill; and
• renovations and updates to the lobby of historic Alumni Gymnasium. 

"There's no off-season for Bates Athletics," says Director of Athletics Jason Fein. "We are always looking for strategic opportunities to improve the athletic experience for our students and community. These projects ensure top-tier spaces for our varsity and club athletes both to compete and heal; support fitness, health, and wellness of the greater Bates community; and celebrate the past and present of Bates Athletics."

The various projects will be funded by Bates donors and from the college's capital budget.

Sports Medicine

Significant renovations to the college's Sports Medicine operation, based in Merrill, will solve an ongoing space crunch and allow the college to "deliver the highest quality care to varsity and club athletes," says Scott Lehmann, assistant director of athletics for facilities and recreation.

The scramble for space was apparent on a recent morning as athletic trainer Ben Walker worked with Bobcat pitchers Grant Iuliano '22 of Waltham, Mass., and Henri Pratt '21 of Pebble Beach, Calif.

The duo were following Walker's advice "activating smaller muscles in the back," such as muscles attached to the scapula, so that "bigger muscles in front," like the pectoralis minor, "aren't doing so much work," explained Walker. The regimen will help their posture, he said, which in turn improves pitching mechanics.

While Walker's care and training was state-of-the-art, his workspace — the hallway outside the crowded trainer's room in Merrill — was not. Along with Iuliano and Pratt, several other athletes had spilled out into the hallway to do their exercises.

No longer solely serving the injured Bobcat, the staff of Bates Sports Medicine pays great attention to healthy athletes, too, with an eye on performance improvement and injury prevention. The fully modern approach demands additional room: "We've outgrown our space," Lehmann says.

The project will create an additional 800 square feet of new rehabilitation and therapy space for athletes like Iuliano and Pratt, mostly by repurposing an existing recreational squash court on Merrill's second level.

Meanwhile, the current Sports Medicine training room on Merrill's first level will be redesigned to create a suitable setting, much like the design of a orthopedic clinic office, for newly injured athletes seeking evaluation and treatment options from professional staff, including team doctors.

Team-specific training services, such as pre-game taping, will continue to be offered in Alumni Gym, Merrill Gym, and Underhill Arena.

Overseen by Bates Facility Services, the project will begin in July and be completed by September.

Indoor Turf

Between November and March, Underhill Arena's ice surface is busy with recreational skating, club hockey, and the occasional intramural broomball game. The rest of the year, the iceless concrete surface is mostly idle.

Not for much longer. Over the summer, the college will install a top-of-the-line modular turf system, Nexxfield X-Gen E2 Pro. Used by venues including Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the system is the first of its kind to be installed by a NESCAC school. The turf floor will remain until the ice surface is reapplied in October, then re-installed after hockey season.

Creating an additional 17,000 square feet of new indoor athletic and multipurpose space for the active Bates community, the installation will comprise more than 600 panels, each 4 feet by 7.5 feet, with a pile height of 1 3/8th inches, creating a safe and consistent cushion for a range of sports and recreational activities.

"This will turn Underhill Ice Arena into a year-round multipurpose facility," Lehmann says, freeing up more space and more time "for physical education classes, varsity and club practices, intramurals, and open field times for the Bates community."

Outdoor Grass

Over the summer, the grass on the Russell Street soccer pitch, used by the men's and women's soccer programs, will be stripped away and replaced with new bluegrass sod installed by Sports Field Inc. of nearby Monmouth and sourced from Maine Turf in Fryeburg.

"This will create a new, safe, and optimal playing surface for our soccer teams," Lehmann says. The work will be completed before the start of fall sports season.

Davis Fitness Center

The layout of the Davis Fitness Center will be reimagined to maximize the use of the space, accommodate more users, and offer an improved fitness experience.

As part of renovations, the college will install Gym Rax functional training and suspension equipment. Outdated storage cubbies will be replaced with day-use lockers outside the center.

Alumni Gym lobby

Complementing the historic feel of Alumni Gymnasium, opened in 1926, updates and accents to the building lobby celebrate the past and present of Bates Athletics.

The improvements follow last summer's project to replace the gym's floor and grandstands.

The lobby is an "iconic Bates place — a visual reminder of the great pride our community has in Bobcat sports," said Lehmann. To that end, the new-look lobby "pays homage to the original look and feel of the building."

Along one wall, outside Fein's office suite, is new custom millwork designed for the historic space, including twin 9-foot, floor-to-ceiling trophy cases. The opposite wall is devoted to a large video display, while the space between the two doors to the gym proper now features the Bobcat logo in oxidized brass. Above, a new tin ceiling completes the yesterday-meets-today effect.

"We hope that we've created a welcoming space for the Bates community, our alumni and parents and friends, and one that shows prospective students and families that Bates is the place they want to be," Lehmann said.