Bower Field renovations not enough, athletes say

Just over one month after renovations were completed at Bower Field, members of the intramural and club teams who use the field say Bower is too small for the number of teams it was intended to accommodate. Bower was renovated over the summer to serve as a new hub for Penn's club and intramural sports teams. The field was previously the home of Penn's varsity baseball team. Now, members of the Sports Club Council -- the representative body for club and intramural sports composed of members from each team -- say the University's decision not to remove dugouts from the former baseball stadium has left too little space for their needs. "It's not been the improvement that we thought it would be," said College senior Jason Miller, a member of the men's club ultimate frisbee team. But Recreation Director Mike Diorka says the club teams have known the dugouts would not be removed since the spring. According to Diorka, the plans to remove the dugouts as part of the renovations were scrapped in the spring because the dugouts provide storage areas and electrical outlets for the teams without taking up a lot of room. Diorka added that the University has made drastic improvements to Bower, including the addition of lighting, a sprinkler system and the removal of most of the fences that surrounded the former baseball field. Currently, Bower Field is being used by 11 club teams, the varsity women's soccer team and several intramural soccer and football teams. But according to some members of the Sports Club Council, the University has failed to follow through with some of the improvements it was scheduled to complete this summer. Council President Rachel Tanner, a Wharton senior, said the University did not get around to resodding the infield until this Thursday due to the summer's drought-induced water restrictions. As a result, players must stay off the resodded area -- which encompasses about one quarter of the field -- for another three to four weeks. Tanner, who is vice president of the women's club rugby team, also said she was distressed by overcrowding on the fields. "In a way, facilities at Murphy Field were better," she said of the former home of club and intramural sports, currently the site of Penn's future baseball stadium. "Now, people are fighting over a piece of grass." According to Tanner, the reason for the renovation delays stem from bureaucratic "red tape" encountered by the Recreation Department. But both Tanner and Miller said they remain hopeful that eventually, the field will be expanded enough to alleviate the cramping. Diorka said the University is currently looking to purchase the former postal parking lot that is adjacent to the north side of the field. Located to the east of Franklin Field, Bower served as the University's baseball field through the 1999 season. Last fall, the University unveiled plans to renovate Bower Field and make it the center for club and intramural sports. As part of the plan, Murphy Field -- located near the intersection of the Schuylkill Expressway and University Avenue -- was divided in two. On one side of the field, construction has begun on a baseball stadium, while the other side houses a new water-cooling plant. The baseball team is slated to move into the new stadium in February.