The university, located 10 minutes from the Fort Wayne, Ind., golf course, expects to complete the purchase of the property in early 2018. Plans for the property include building a softball stadium and field complex on the front nine, while maintaining the back nine as a public golf course.
Months after withdrawing plans to bring new athletics facilities to Memorial Park, Indiana Tech announced on October 25 that it now plans to build amenities on the Donald Ross Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Fort Wayne-based Journal Gazette reported.
The university has entered into an option-to-purchase agreement with Sycamore Inc., which owns the property. It expects to complete the purchase in early 2018, and is not disclosing the purchase price, the Journal Gazette reported.
Sycamore Inc. appears to own seven parcels classified as a golf course or country club at the Donald Ross address or in the immediate area, according to property records from the Allen County assessor’s office. The seven parcels’ total assessed value, as of 2016, is $174,700, according to the records, the Journal Gazette reported.
Donald Ross Golf Club, formerly known as Fairview Golf Course, declined to comment to the Journal Gazette.
Indiana Tech’s president said the university is excited about the possibilities created by repurposing the golf course. “It seems like both a great fit for the needs of our student-athletes, and a positive use of the property for the entire community,” Karl Einolf said.
A softball stadium and track and field complex are being eyed for the golf course’s back nine, and the 55-acre parcel would allow for future growth. The front nine would remain unchanged and be used as a nine-hole course open to the public, the release said.
Indiana Tech also envisions the course as a practice facility for its golf teams and as an experiential learning opportunity for students who would manage and operate it, the release said. Construction could start as early as summer 2018, likely with the softball stadium, the Journal Gazette reported.
The university doesn’t foresee a problem having an off-site athletics facility about 10 minutes away, spokesman Brian Engelhart said, noting that other colleges in similar situations reported having positive experiences with their setups, the Journal Gazette reported.
Less fanfare accompanied Wednesday’s announcement compared with Indiana Tech’s spring news conference outlining plans to invest $6.4 million in Memorial Park. That proposal, which included a new track and field facility, a softball stadium and an athletic training and office facility, met staunch opposition from veterans and their descendants, prompting Indiana Tech to withdraw the plans a month later, the Journal Gazette reported.
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