ASHLAND — The Ashland University Niss Athletic Center is up and running after nearly two years of planning and $10 million.
The 125,000 square-foot facility sports an 80-yard turf field, a six-lane, 300-meter track and two batting cages, among other amenities.
While it was ultimately created for AU athletics to use, one of the driving motivations behind its creation was the possibility of opening the facility for the community, said Al King, the university’s athletic director.
“When we built it, we said that it was going to be for athletics, but then also kids on campus and the community,” King said.
“We didn’t open until December, so right now, everything we’ve been doing has been just getting our teams in. That’s where the main thrust has been: making sure they have practices. We’re trying to look at getting the teams in, then trying to get the students in, and then the next piece would be the community.”
While the center is not currently open for community use, the sports department is working toward a schedule that would allow for local teams to rent out the space for their practices and games.
“We’ve had a soccer team starting to come in here, we’re going to have a cheer camp here in the summer, and we’ve had a softball team interested in renting it for a little bit,” King said.
