OSU continues making progress on plans to build world-class athletic facilities

Friday, July 28, 2006

Oklahoma State University continues moving forward with its historic plans to create one of the nation’s premier athletic complexes.  

Through negotiations, the OSU Foundation has purchased 86 of the 87 properties in the initial athletic village expansion area north of Boone Pickens Stadium between McElroy Road and Hall of Fame Avenue. Negotiations continue to purchase the last property in the area.  

“The OSU Foundation, through the tireless efforts of its general counsel, Gary Clark, has done a remarkable job negotiating the purchase of properties,” said David Schmidly, OSU System CEO and President. “We have heard from numerous satisfied owners who have complimented Gary for his fairness and compassion throughout this process. We have made amazing progress.”

On Friday, the OSU/A&M Board of Regents approved the university's purchase of the remaining property, including the use of eminent domain if necessary.

“We have said all along that we want to avoid eminent domain, and that remains the case,” Schmidly said. “We continue to actively negotiate. We remain optimistic we can reach agreements on the final property. If we do not, it will not be from a lack of sincere effort by the Foundation and the university.”

“We commend the Foundation and those involved in this process on their efforts to purchase properties by working with home and property owners to negotiate fair prices,” said Joe D. Hall, OSU/A&M Board Chair.  

“We have been much more successful purchasing properties on a volunteer basis than any of us could ever imagined. We applaud the thoughtful way the Foundation has approached this process. We also thank the many property owners who worked with the Foundation on this far-reaching initiative.”  

OSU began purchasing properties in the initial expansion area last year and has acquired 86 properties from 46 owners. Nearly half of the properties have been or will be relocated by the owners or individuals who purchased the structure through auction.  

As it has cleared the expansion area of properties, the university has coordinated closely with the city, including working with Stillwater Police to use structures for SWAT training. In addition, OSU allowed Habitat for Humanity to gather home materials and appliances it could re-sell or use in homes it builds.

“Under the direction of Mike Bale, the Rental Property Management Team has done a tremendous job addressing the concerns of tenants, coordinating with the owners, the city and vendors, and quickly clearing the area," Schmidly said. "We owe Mike and his team a huge thank you.”

Thanks to the Pickens gift, OSU has begun work to bowl the west end zone of Boone Pickens Stadium. This will create a world-class 60,000-seat stadium and house a weight room, training table and coaches’ offices. The north side of the stadium will be ready for the upcoming season, and the west end zone should be ready for the 2008 season.  

In addition to the west end zone work, the Pickens gift will also provide for the following top-of-the-line facilities north of Boone Pickens Stadium:

•    Multi-purpose indoor practice complex
•    Outdoor practice fields 
•    Soccer/track complex
•    Indoor and outdoor tennis facilities
•    Baseball stadium

“We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made to date,” Schmidly said. “These new athletic facilities are a critical component of our three-pronged approach to developing a top-tier university. Athletics, academics, and student life must all fit together to build a competitive institution.”