Aug. 16, 2011
On a muggy August morning, President John Garvey met up with five CUA students to shoot a few hoops on the University's new outdoor basketball court next to the Eugene I. Kane Student Fitness Center.
One of those students was Josh Monroe, a senior architecture and civil engineering major from Aurora, Ohio, who drafted the initial schematic drawings for the court two years ago. He had been approached to come up with the sketch by Marie Kennedy, former director of the Eugene I. Kane Student Fitness Center, for whom he had worked since his sophomore year. Kennedy and Mike Allen, athletic director, came up with the idea for the court and initiated the project.
"It's awesome. It's even better than I thought it'd be," Monroe said upon seeing the completed court.
Chris Vetick, assistant director of ground maintenance, said the Office of Facilities Maintenance and Operations broke ground on the court in early June; the project took about eight weeks to complete. Although the project had been in the works for a while, "President Garvey's support was really the final thing we needed," he said, noting that Kennedy, Athletic Director Mike Allen, and Director of Facilities Maintenance and Operations Kevin Petersen also played large roles in the project.
"It's nice for the students to now be able to play outside in the fresh air, especially on a pleasant summer or fall day," Vetick said.
The fitness center will be in charge of managing the playing time on the court, which can be lit at night.
In Monroe's original schematic, he had an area for spectator seating. Currently, staff involved in the project are working to add some tables and other amenities next to the court to encourage students to gather there.