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Walter Fieldhouse
Needs Assessment
9/26/2014 Interview: Meagan Wain- Asst. Director, Walter Field House
REC 3050 Fall Semester 2014

Ben Corn
Josh McKenzie
Brandon Purdum
Nick Gibbons

Table of Contents
I. Introduction (Ben Corn)
..3

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II. Methods (Ben Corn)
.......5
III. Interview Results (Nick Gibbons/Brandon Purdum)
....6
IV. Data Gathering Results (Nick Gibbons/Brandon Purdum)
..9
V. Discussion/Recommendations (Josh McKenzie/Ben Corn)
..16
VII. Thank You Letter (Nick Gibbons)
...20
VI. References (Ben Corn)
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Introduction
Location
The Walter Fieldhouse is an indoor multipurpose facility. It is located
alongside along the Hocking River.
General Information

93,750 square foot multipurpose pavilion

4 lane track that outlines 100 yard FieldTurf field, with 2 10-yard end
zones
Netting system for various usage
2 scoreboards (North and South walls)
2 Filming Platforms (North and East walls)
Long Jump and Pole Vault Pits

Walter Family History

The Walters both graduated from Ohio University in

1967, Robert Walter with a Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering and Margaret Walter with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts. Robert Walter went on and
earned his Master's degree in Business
Administration from Harvard Business School in
1970, and later received an Honorary Doctorate
from Ohio University in 1997. In the year 1971 at
age 26, Robert purchased Cardinal Foods, a small Ohio food wholesaler, in a
leveraged buyout. Walter soon after founded Cardinal Health, Inc., and
became the chairman and CEO of the company. Cardinal Health is now an
$87 billion USD Fortune 100 company and one of the largest distributors of
pharmaceuticals, health & beauty products, and hospital supplies in the
United States. Walter retired from Cardinal Health in June 2008.
In his alumnus years, Robert Walter served on Ohio University's Board of
Trustees from 1997 and later retired in 2005. Neither his wife nor he has been
a stranger to Ohio University since leaving Athens in 1967. Robert Walter
currently serves on Ohio University's Promise Lives Campaign Steering
Committee, which is leading the effort to raise $450 million in support of Ohio
University students, faculty, staff and programs. The Walter's have also

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collectively donated over $19 million since 1988 to
the university in order to improve old and build new
resources for the current students. These resources
include: Margaret M. Walter Hall (a gift of $5
million), Walter International Education Center (a
gift of 15 Park Place, the old home of Robert
Walter's collegiate fraternity, Sigma Chi and a
renovation worth $2 million), Walter Center for
Strategic Leadership (a gift of $2 million donated by
Cardinal Health in honor of Robert Walter's
retirement), and the Walter Fieldhouse (a gift of $8
million), which is currently being constructed next to Peden Stadium.
Construction Information
Start: May 2013
Finish: Spring 2014
Project Budget: $12.5 million
Accommodates

OHIO Athletics

ROTC

Academics

Intramurals

Club Sports

Open Rec for OHIO Students, Faculty, Staff, and the Community

Mission Statement
The Walter Fieldhouse will provide an additional recruitment tool for students
participating in the various user activities. Practices and events will continue
through inclement weather, class opportunities will be increased, and the
facility will offer new and additional space for large events on campus.

Methods

IPA Template
a) Surveyed people on the football team and the Marching 110
Facility Tour
a) Toured Walter Fieldhouse with Meagan Wain
Census Bureau
a) Gathered info from the Athens County Auditor website

Interview Results
Interviewed: Meagan Wain Asst. Director, Walter Field House
1)
Programming & Scheduling
a.
What types of program does the organization offer? We offer a multipurpose
facility that is open to all OU students, OHIO Athletics, Air Force and Army ROTC,
The Marching 110, the Division of Student Affairs, and also provide memberships
and rental opportunities for different University and Community groups.
b.
What specific methods does the organization use to decide program offerings
and why? We make sure we equally balance time for each user group while still
maintaining Open Recreation hours for all students and bring revenue in through
facility rentals and memberships.
c.
What problems do you generally encounter in terms of
programming? Scheduling is usually the trickiest issue. Being able to divide the turf
into 3 sections with our netting system definitely helps.
2)
Safety & Risk Management
a.
Does the organization have a risk management plan? Facility staff is all
trained on the facility Emergency Action Plans, are all OSHA & CPR/AED/First Aid
certified, know proper cleaning and bio-hazard procedures have access to all
Campus Emergency numbers, and are properly trained to perform all risk
management plans.
b.
What resources did the organization use to develop the current risk
management plan? Environmental Health and Safety Department, Risk
Management and Safety Department
c.
How often is the plan evaluated? These plans will be evaluated annually
before each Fall employee training.
d.
What types of topics/issues does the organization cover within the risk
management plan? Weather emergency protocols, Pest Control, Facility access &
security, Accidents and Injuries, Blood Borne Pathogens Exposure Control, Chemical
Spill response, Fire and Facility evacuation procedures, power outages & equipment
failure, bomb threats, active shooter, robbery, shoplifting & theft emergencies, &
sexual harassment
3)
a.
b.
c.

Retail Operations (Core Product Extensions)

Do they have one? If so, what? Why? NA
How much of their annual revenue does the retail store generate? NA
What benefits / problems does it create? NA

4)

Revenue Streams and Facility Financing

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a.
What are the various revenue streams for the selected organization? Revenue
comes from facility rentals and memberships.
b.
How is the facility financed? The department creates an annual budget at the
beginning of each fiscal year. Once the budget is approved by the University, then
this is the basis of all expenses and expected revenue for the year. There is also an
ongoing Capital Plan that lists all possible facility expenses, when the expenses
would come out of the budget, and how much needs to be set aside each year to
prepare.
c.
What processes go into an annual finance plan? Budget lines include but are
not limited to: Revenue, Student Hourly Wages & Benefits, Operating Expenses,
Staff Apparel, & Repair and Replacement Requests. There is also a separate budget
created for Custodial/Grounds/Maintenance.
d.
If appropriate, groups may want to ask for a copy of the budget, or how they
might go about obtaining a copy. Students may contact the University Budget
Planning and Analysis Finance Department.
5)
Financial Management
a.
What specific measures does the organization take to manage finances? The
Campus Recreation Department has a business office that consists of 3 employees
that manage and oversee all Campus Recreation budgets.
6)
Electrical, Mechanical, Energy Management
a.
Who takes care of these types of issues? OU Facilities Management
b.
What types of Elec., Mech., and Energy issues does the facility/area have to
plan for? HVAC, Plumbing, Lighting Controls, Central Fire Protection, Voltage and
Power transformers/switchboards, electrical fuses, etc.
c.
Are there special types of Elec., Mech., or Energy needed to operate the
facility? Nothing special- facility is cooled by a large capacity ventilation system of
fans and louvres, and is heated through under slab radiant heating coming from the
floor. Lighting includes high efficiency LED bulbs with direct, indirect and natural
light sources
d.
What benefits/drawbacks do their specific types of Elec., Mech., or Energy
sources create? Facility is not air conditioned, so gets warm/humid during warm
weather months.
e.
How much of the budget does this aspect consume? Estimate of $96,000 for
all utilities came from Maintenance and Operations dept. in May 2014. Just a ball
park figure that will be more concrete after a year of establishment
7)
Landscape Design & maintenance
a.
Who takes care of this aspect of the facility/area? Landscape- Grounds
Maintenance (Custodial cleans restrooms and lobby area, Grounds is responsible for
the turf, track, and outside landscaping.
b.
How much of their annual funding is delegated to these operations? Comes
from Grounds budget- need to contact their department- (Estimate of $3,000/year
just for track/turf maintenance)
c.
Problems created? Benefits it provides? Grounds need to be called in
whenever an issue occurs- no one on site.

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8)
Universal & Accessible Design Parking, indoor/outdoor surfaces,
signs/graphics, landscape, building design, ancillary areas
a.
Is the facility/area compliant to ADA standards? If so, how? If not, how can it
be improved? Facility is ADA compliant- handicap parking with signs, accessible
sidewalks and facility entrances & exits, ADA compliant sinks and restroom facilities,
- there is no way to get patrons with special needs to the second floor (only way to
access the filming platforms and mechanical/electrical rooms is stairs)
b.
Is the facility design adding to, or detracting from the participants
experiences? How? The aesthetics of the facility add to patron experiences.
c.
What general design features could be improved? What design features that
are present are not needed? Improvements could include more restrooms, more
locker room/showering areas, and a sprinkler system for the main facility.
9)
Public Relations
a.
What methods are used? Being the first year of the facility, we are working
on partnering with different Campus and Community outlets to tap into the potential
of what our department can offer.
b.
Why were these methods chosen?
10) Promotions & Customer Retention
a.
What methods are used? We promote our Open Rec hours through social
media outlets, the OU and Campus Recreation websites, printed brochures and
materials, and through TV ads on campus
b.
Why were these methods chosen?
11) Human Resource Management
a.
What methods are used? Use HR to hire all department employees. Post open
job positions online through the HR website.
b.
Why were these methods chosen? University standards
c.
How much of the budget is spent on staffing? Estimated $80,000/year for
student staffing
d.
How many full-time employees? Part-time? Walter Fieldhouse has 1 full-time
employee and 26 part time student employees
e.
Where do you advertise for employees? HR, Ohio University Website, Campus
Recreation Website
12) Volunteers
a.
Does the facility/area use volunteers? If not, why? If so, why & what is their
function? We use volunteers for large event set ups and tear downs and facility
cleaning
b.
If the facility utilizes volunteers, is there a process/method in place to address
volunteers and/or train them? Volunteers are reached out to on an as-need basis.
Volunteers are normally trained by the Fieldhouse student supervisors and student
manager.
13) General Questions about the overall operations
a.
What is the most time consuming aspect of operating this
facility/area? Facility scheduling

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b.
Is there an area of the facility/area, which is more problematic than others?
Why? Not yet!
c.
What is the least problematic? NA

Data Gathering Results

Walter Fieldhouse Survey
Name: _______________________________
Year: ________________________________
Use purposes:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Are there any problems you have visual seen with the indoor facility?

Yes

No

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If so please explain
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Is heating/cooling an issue when using this facility?

Yes

No

If so please explain
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What are you suggestions to fix the problem?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do feel the turf is an issue when using the facility?

Yes

No

If so please explain
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Would you feel putting in an air circulation system would benefit those who
use the facility?

Yes

No

How would you compare Walter Fieldhouse to other indoor facilities you have
been to in the MAC?

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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for time.

Surveys given/received back = 25/21

The survey was mainly put into the decision to see what the users (athletes)
thought about the Walter Fieldhouse when they used it. Some focal points on
the survey mainly were directed towards the heating and cooling system.
Athletes found it to be rather hot or humid when they would practice or use
the indoor facility. Even some of the returned surveys included the idea of
inserting big fans to provide a better circulation system. I feel this helped us
come up with ideas on how and why to make slight changes that could
eventually make the Walter Fieldhouse more appealing and useable than it
already is.
Is heating/cooling an issue when using this facility?
What are you suggestions to fix the problem?
How would you compare Walter Fieldhouse to other indoor facilities you have
been to in the MAC?
Listed above or some questions that were given on the survey.
Of the 21 surveys received back 18 thought that there was an air circulation
problem in the building. 15 stated that they feel fans would benefit the
people using it and also stated that they have seen these fans within
recreation buildings and other MAC indoor facilities.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Average cost per square foot of adding sprinkler system was $3.66 per
square foot

With Walter Fieldhouse being 93,750 square feet our total for adding the
sprinkler system was roughly $343,125

This allows full coverage of the field area to prevent fires during large
events

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Big Ass Fans price was $4,900 for each fan

24 feet wingspan fans

Quantity: 6

Comes to total price of $29,400

Adding 6 Big Ass Fans allow for better quality Airflow of the facility, and
the opening of the side doors.

After speaking with Ryan Lombardi the Vice President of Student Affairs he
had an alternative to the Sprinkler system

His method to the problem was during events held within Walter
Fieldhouse the University could get a Fire marshal to setup outside the
event.

This would allow the Fire marshal and his crew to handle any incidents
that could happen

Renting out Walter Fieldhouse comes out to be

-$100 an hour for University Groups
-$200 an hour for Non-University Groups

Also while speaking to student affairs some revenue building events that
would be consider to be held within the Walter Fieldhouse were

Commencement practices

Movies on the Green

Concerts and shows

Social events

Walter Fieldhouse also has memberships sold to allow for easy revenue

The memberships are based on: Daily, Semester, and Annually

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Cost Savings

Due to Walter Fieldhouse being brand new many Cost efficient items were
built into the facility such as

Putting these fans in will save us 97,656 KW of energy and this will save
us $6,300 a year and will receive our pay off in about four and half years.
We got these number by talking to a reprehensive of Big Ass Fans.

High Efficiency LED bulbs

Direct lighting

Indirect lighting

Natural lighting

Mens, Womens, and Family Restrooms with

Lower flow shower heads

Water control flow toilets

Similar Facilities (MAC Schools)

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University of Akron

Indoor Facility- Yes, Stile Athletic Field House

Built- 2004
Use- All 19 varsity teams
120 yard football field
6 lane 300-meter indoors track
Golf practice facility
Spectator seating- 1,200
Lowering nets

Bowling Green State University

Indoor Facility- Yes, Perry Field House

Built-1993
Use- Football, Softball, Baseball, Track, intermural/ club sports
Built in 2 wings
Wing one holds a 110-yard football field
Lowering nets
Wing 2 has 200-meter track and 4 full size basketball courts

University of Buffalo

Indoor Facility- Not yet but plans are underway

Kent State

Indoor Facility- Yes, Kent State Field House

Built-1990
Use- Football, Baseball, Softball, Field Hockey, Golf, Soccer
6 lane 292 meter track
Full size turf field
Lowering nets

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Holds Indoor track meets

Miami Ohio

Indoor Facility- Not yet but plans are in the works (Aims to finish this
month)

Ball State

Indoor Facility- No

Central Michigan

Indoor Facility- Yes, Indoor Athletic Complex (IAC)

Built 1999
Use- Varsity Sport
Built in 2 Bays
Bay 1 holds indoor track and field
Bay 2 holds indoor football/ soccer fields
Facility also houses 7,100 square foot weight room
Training room with hydrotherapy pool
Academic rooms

Eastern Michigan

Indoor Facility- Yes, The Indoor Practice Facility

Built-2010
Use- Varsity Teams, Intermural and club sports
410 feet long, 210 feet wide, and 75 feet tall
8-6,000 square feet of turf that can be converted into football, soccer
fields, and baseball softball fields
Lowering nets

Northern Illinois

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Indoor Facility- Yes, Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center

Built- 2013
Use- All varsity sports
120 yard practice turf field
Batting cages
Lowering Nets
4 lane sprint track
Long jump pits

University of Toledo

Indoor Facility- Yes, Indoor Practice Facility Savage Arena

Built- 2009
Use- Every Varsity Sport
Turf football/ soccer field
Basketball/ Volleyball courts
Indoor track
Batting cages
Driving range nets for golf

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Western Michigan

Indoor Facility- Yes, Seelye Center

Built 2003
Use- Varsity Sports
80x 60-yard turf field
Multiple vip boxes to watch home football games
Lowering nets

Discussion/Recommendations
Through our research and our tour of Walter Fieldhouse, we have found
it hard to come up recommendations because it is such a new facility. Even
so, there are some faults in the faults in the facility. There were four main
problems with the Walter Fieldhouse that we found. They are as follows being
the uneven turf, unbalanced track, lack of a PA system, a lack of a cooling
system, and lack of a sprinkler system.

One of the main problems of the facility is the uneven turf. This is in
most cases an unavoidable situation though. This always happens when you
install new turn in places. It takes time to turn to settle and be perfect to play
on. The only way to fix and help this problem is just playing on it and use the
turf. Talking to people that use this facility (Football players/ Band members)
they have said the problem is getting better with time and use. Time is the
only thing that will fix and solve this problem. The only recommendation, we
have to fix this problem is just use the facility and turf as much as possible to
get the turf into playing shape.

Another problem that this facility faces is an uneven track. Its not that
the track is uneven its that the track and playing turn are uneven. When
walking off the turf and on to the track, the track surface is higher than the
turf. This uneven surface could cause injury. After talking to members of the
football team, some have said when running across the field and then coming
into contact with the track many players have slipped and fell. They say this
is caused by the sudden change in floor elevation. Also, members of the
football team have informed us that when walking onto the field from the
track players cleats have come in contact with the uneven surface causing
players to fall. The only way we feel this problem can be fixed is by increasing
the height of the track surface to bring it level with the playing turf. This way,

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when athletes and people using the facility go from on playing surface to
another, it is a smooth transition.

Another problem with the Walter Field House is its lack of a PA system.
PA systems are systems used to pump audio through a facility. A facility like
Walter Field House could benefit from something like this. Members of the
football team and band members have informed us that having a PA system
would make their practices more efficient. The only means of communication
now in this facility is yelling and blowing whistles. With the installation of a PA
system coaches and instructors will be able to use wireless microphones to
talk loudly to the entire team. Also the PA could be used to play music
throughout the facility for athletes listing pleasure.
The last flaw that we could find with this facility is a lack of cooling
system. Walter Field House lacks an air conditioning unit. The only form of
cooling is opening grates along the sides of the building to let in fresh air.
Taking to people who use this facility a lack of cooling is a huge issue.
Football players have informed us that during practice players get extremely
hot even when the grates along the side of the building are open. They have
said there is a lack of air circulation. The air just seems hot. One way we have
thought up to fix this problem would be the installation of a Big Ass Fan.
These are the types of fans located at the Athens Community Center. From
what we saw over there, the fans seem to work really well and we believe
they would work well in the Walter Field House as well.

Fan type: Powerfoil 8

Warranty: 12 years
Fans: 6 needed
Price: 4,900 per fan (4,900x6=29,400$)
Diameter: 24 feet (7.3 meters)
RPM: 61
Controller: Wall mounted (key code required)
Multiple Running modes (SmartSense)

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Summer Mode: Increases fan speed as the floor level temperature rises
Winter Mode: Automatically adjusts the fans speed to minimize the
temperature differential between the floor and ceiling
o Manual Mode: Allows user to manually adjust speed of fan. Takes fan
off autopilot.
Relies on size not speed of fan to create air current.
Does not create a draft
Said to drop the perception of temperature by four to five degrees
o
o

Patent-pending AirFences redirect the fans air velocity profile, contributing

to a 28% improvement in air movement.

VFP fire systems is a very efficient company that we would propose the use
for the Sprinkler Systems
VFP fire systems will come in and offer these services for Walter Fieldhouse
Engineering and Design, Installation, Project Management, Service &
Inspection, and Building Retrofit
The pricing would range from $300,000-$400,000 after an official company
worker came out from VFP and did the inspection.

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VFP Fire Systems gives with the purchase of the Fire Detection systems a 10
year Limited Warranty Life span

Wet Pipe Sprinkler System

VFP Fire Systems after calling recommended that we use the Wet Pipe
Sprinkler System
Wet Pipe Sprinkler System has advantages such as
Always has water moving throughout the pipes to allow for instant
usage
Easy Sprinkler System to manage,
Ease of modification if changes or parts were to ever needed to be
replaced
Very Low Installation and maintenance expense
Require the least amount of down time to restore after an fire has
started

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This Wet Pipe Sprinkler System allows for low budget cost to install, maintain, and
replace if any changes were to be made, which makes it the best ideal Fire
Detection system for Walter Fieldhouse
Comparable Blackburn Memorial Auditorium
There are 2,000 seats within the Blackburn Memorial Auditorium.
The average amount that student affair makes with the Blackburn Memorial
Auditorium is around $72,000 per event. The Walter Fieldhouse could hold around
the same capacity as the Blackburn Memorial Auditorium if not a little more. With
this information we could come up with an idea on how much money/revenue we
would be able to accumulate after each event.

Thank You Letter

Hello Ms.Wain,
The group that was given the tour of Walter Field House for our Rec 3050
class would like to email you addressing our appreciation of you taking time
out of your day for our tour. With the help of the tour and the time you
manage to take to answer our interview questions you allowed us to answer
many of our concerns and questions we had about Walter Field House. Thank
you once again and have a great day.

Thanks,
Ben Corn
Nick Gibbons
Brandon Purdum
Josh McKenzie

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Work Sited
http://www.ohio.edu/studentaffairs/planning/fieldhouse.cfm
http://www.ohio.edu/compass/stories/10-11/12/walters-gift-923.cfm
http://www.athenscountyauditor.org/
http://www.gozips.com/athletics/facilities/stile
http://www.ohio.edu/studentaffairs/planning/fieldhouse.cfm
http://www.utrockets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?
DB_OEM_ID=18000&ATCLID=1352302
http://www.nfpa.org/press-room/news-releases/2008/cost-of-installingresidential-fire-sprinklers-averages-1-61-per-square-foot
http://www.bigassfans.com/products/powerfoil-8/
http://www.vfpfire.com/