Delays in the construction of the athletic facilities at Derr Track have pushed the completion date back another six weeks, according to Senior Associate Athletic Director David Horning. The project is a year behind the original schedule, because of unexpected setbacks and soggy winter weather.

The plan, Horning said, is for an “Olympic-style” softball stadium at the corner of Cates Avenue and Morrill Drive. A new running track will go behind the stadium. In the middle of the track will be a new field for men’s and women’s soccer — something that has been in the works for the past three years, Horning said.

Recently, the weather has affected the schedule. Rain and, after Thursday, snow, slows construction every time the ground gets wet. These delays come on top of the setbacks related to the approval of the plans, which took into consideration not only the aesthetic quality, but the budget as well.

The budget, according to Horning, is set at $6 million. Of that amount, $5 million is allotted to construction.

“When you have a finite number to work with on a budget authority and you have something that is going to be so well-noticed on campus, it has to be what the campus approves,” he said. “The limestone, the brick, symmetry, how it looks on campus, is very important.”

“We encumber more things when we build something on campus because of the complications with the Central Campus community, the layout, the master plan and everything else.”

The Central Campus location is a plus, Horning said, because more students will be able to go to games. Currently, all of the softball team’s home games are played at Walnut Creek, just north of downtown Raleigh.

“It’s a great facility to have, but it doesn’t feel like home,” senior third baseman Jen Chamberlin said. “The new stadium will give a sense of establishment to the school. And, it will be easier for students to come watch.”

Chamberlin has played for N.C. State since the softball program began three years ago and said, while she would have liked to have played in the new stadium, the delay in construction doesn’t hurt the team.

“I don’t know anything else,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where I play. I’m going to play my heart out.”

Catcher Miranda Ervin said as a senior, she would have loved to play on a field that the team could call home.

“We feel a little let down that we didn’t get to experience playing at home, but it’s a great opportunity for the freshmen and underclassmen,” Ervin said. “I’m glad they’ll be able to know what it’s like.”

Ervin pointed out the accomplishments of the team without a home facility.

“We’ve earned it, especially with winning the ACC championship,” she said.

The softball field was supposed to be ready for practices this spring, Horning said, but that completion date is no longer possible. However, softball coach Lisa Navas said, while the holdup is disappointing, “we’ve been going for the past three years without it.”

“We practice at the hardest field. It’s the worst, but it makes us better,” Chamberlin said. “The ball hops in the bumpy outfield, and we’re always slipping in the infield. But that’s to our advantage. It makes it so much easier when we go to a nicer facility.”

Despite the delays, Horning said he is excited about the project.

“We just added softball three years ago,” he said. “A big challenge when you add a program is obviously you get your coaches here and then have a facility that they can go out and recruit and attract student-athletes.”

The stadium was a consideration when Navas took the head coaching job three years ago.

“I wouldn’t have taken the job if they weren’t putting in a facility,” Navas said.

The seniors all felt they would have the stadium by the time they graduated, Ervin said, but now “we’re not really dwelling on it.”

“The running joke on the team was that we were going to call Extreme Makeover to have them come and work on the field,” she said.

Navas said she appreciates the new stadium and the money that was donated toward making it a reality, and the delays will not affect her coaching or the work of her team.

“All these things are out of my control,” she said. “It’s not something I sit around and worry about.”

Horning said he is optimistic about the vision of the project and looks toward the finished product.

“The three ways you measure a project are — Was it within budget? Was it quality? Was it on time? Right now, the only thing is, it’s not on time, and we couldn’t do anything about it,” Horning said. “We’re going to have a good product. It’s going to be quality. It’ll be within budget, and now we’re trying to get it online as quick as we can.”