Ahearn Fund members directly enhanced the student-athlete and fan experience at Bill Snyder Family Stadium this fall as a new View Level restroom addition and the installation of a new field surface were completed prior to the 2001 season as part of Kansas State's continuing commitment to a world-class student-athlete experience and the best fan experience in the Big 12.
The construction bid for the restroom addition was awarded to Konrath Construction Group at a cost of under $2 million as Bill Snyder Stadium saw a 20 percent increase in restroom facilities with this addition.
AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60H was selected as the new field surface at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, replacing the current surface that was installed prior to the 2002 season. Mid-America Golf and Landscape served as project manager for the installation work with the total cost of the project at approximately $600,000.
The installation of the GameDay Grass infill system at Bill Snyder Family Stadium was AstroTurf's first on a game-day stadium field of a Football Bowl Subdivision member. It features AstroTurf's revolutionary new Horseshoe fiber, which is an "Omega" shape with two end columns with a thicker diameter. The design imparts mechanical memory so that the fiber remains upright longer, unlike other fields whose fibers quickly flatten and split or shred at the spine.
"We want to make incremental and intelligent improvements to Bill Snyder Family Stadium and all of our athletic facilities to enhance the experience of our student-athletes and fans," said Athletics Director John Currie. "The restroom addition to the east-side upper deck is a necessity and will be beneficial to our ticket-holders, while the current turf surface on Wagner Field has reached the end of its life cycle."
