With the addition of fences to the Alder Street Recreation Complex, the first improvement in a long line of renovations started this fall has been completed.

“We’re looking to enhance that field space,” said Michael Montgomery, assistant director of operations. “The Alder Street Complex gets a lot of use, and when we go to book that space we get a lot of dangerous situations.”

The danger comes because there is limited space for club and varsity teams to practice around campus, so the Lacrosse Club might be playing beside the Soccer Club, leaving either side open to getting hit from a stray ball. This is especially dangerous for sports that aren’t wearing any protective gear.

With an increase in how many home events Central Washington University has started to host, in addition to starting to host regional tournaments, the safety of both home and visiting student athletes is becoming a bigger concern.

“Scheduling became an issue when we put two teams near each other and introduced risks, so we would have to schedule them at different times with limited availability. We have to make sure that we have a safe place for players before every game,” Montgomery said.

In addition to safety, up-and-coming teams and clubs that are looking to be more professional have asked for renovations on the field, with the first being the safety fence.

“The fence was put up for improving sports,” said program coordinator Ben Lovell. “To get a team conditioned, you’re going to need the right facility.”

Students and staff felt that the field needed to be improved. Through a series of requests, renovation plans were made that may potentially include improving the parking, as well as installing water fountains, scoreboards and wind screens.

“Our renovations are all about identifying needs and going through phases,” Montgomery said.

Another goal that the fence is meant to accomplish is to help control the foot traffic around the field.

“A lot of the students take dogs out there and fail to pick up after them, and when we clean we pick up a lot of trash left out on the field. It was time to kick off this project,” Montgomery said.

While the total estimated cost of the renovations is still being adjusted as more solutions and renovation ideas are being introduced, CWU plans to keep the renovations of the field going bit by bit for the next few years.

“We’re just trying to create the best facility that we can [and one] our students deserve,” Montgomery said.