By: Deborah Johnson Wood
It’s taken nearly 10 years, but Catholic Central High School has completed its Cougar Athletic Trails Complex at 2770 Knapp. School and church leaders officially dedicated the $3.4 million structure on April 30.
The fieldhouse brings most of the school’s sports activities to one 32-acre site, rather than having practices split between the high school at 319 Sheldon NE, Grand Rapids and the practice fields six miles away.
The site already had a structure housing locker rooms and coaches’ offices. A 48,000-square-foot addition with three indoor courts—two with hardwood floors, one with a synthetic rubber floor—provides practice space for tennis, indoor pole vaulting and other indoor sports. Above the courts along the perimeter walls is a three-ring running track.
The addition brings the facility to 71,000 square feet.
“We’re going for LEED certification,” says Aaron Mead, the Pioneer Construction project manager who oversaw construction. “We used low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, installed a clean air system, low-usage water fixtures and used native drought resistant plants for landscaping.”
A capital campaign provided funding for the facility.
“We’re fortunate to have some folks who feel it’s important to have good facilities for our students,” says Mike Neuman, Catholic Central’s athletic director.
Source: Aaron Mead, Pioneer Construction; Mike Neuman, Catholic Central High School
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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