Pittsburg State University blog

This blog was written by Chris Kelly, associate vice president for university marketing and communication.

My wife and I like to take walks through the campus during the evening. Okay … truth be told, that sentence should read, “My wife likes to take walks through campus during the evening.” It’s not that I mind walking or spending time with my wife, it’s just that the air conditioned house and couch seem even more inviting during the summer months.

The funny thing about this situation is that once we are a block away from the home, I absolutely love walking. It helps clear my head, it’s good for me and, perhaps most importantly, it gives me an opportunity to talk with my wife. (Not to be “that guy” but she is my best friend) If we’re feeling really good, we’ll stop at a local restaurant for some frozen custard.

As we walk through campus our route always takes us underneath the Jungletron and on to the University Lake. As we pass by the stone walls of Carnie Smith Stadium we often peek in to see what’s going on. We almost always see folks from the community walking around the track, but starting this week their walking routine, and ours, will have to change.

You see, Pittsburg State University will begin installing new artificial turf in Carnie Smith Stadium on Wednesday. Now, I’m no math major, but I know there’s a LOT of turf on that field, and the crews are going to need a LOT of room. In order to help keep the work crews, and walkers like my wife and me safe, the university will be closing the stadium and road under the Jungletron during the installation. (If you'd like to see a live stream of the installation, here's the link)

I’m told everything should be done by early August, and the end result is going to be a great new turf for our university and our community. (On a side note, I find myself counting the days until football season!) In the meantime, my wife and I are already planning our new walking route … I’m pushing for one that runs by the local custard shop!