For Huber Rodriguez, chasing down softballs at the old intramural fields wasn’t much fun. With no outfield barriers, he ran himself ragged. But he won’t face that problem anymore.

“It’s nice to see that they put up a fence in the outfield,” said Rodriguez, a junior mechanical engineering major from Andrews.

Aris Freeman and Celeste Salas chat outside the new intramural complex.

Fences are one of many improvements at the sprawling UTA intramural complex on Mitchell Street south and west of Maverick Stadium. The complex has been completely renovated and now offers two softball fields and three multipurpose fields for soccer, flag football, lacrosse and rugby. New lighting and scoreboards were added along with an equipment building and jogging trail.

“The jogging trail was built not only for students, faculty and staff, but also with the community in mind,” said Doug Kuykendall, director of Campus Recreation. “We’re very proud of the entire complex. We’ve probably got the best setup in the state, if not the entire region.”

Also opening this spring was the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Mitchell and Pecan streets. The Division of Continuing Education moved its offices to the building in late March and has begun holding classes there.

UTA’s employment and staff development areas as well as several Arlington and Tarrant County government organizations, including the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Workforce Commission, Tarrant County College, the Fort Worth Independent School District and Goodwill Industries, will also have offices there.

Back on the west side of campus, the Fine Arts Annex on Davis Street was completed in February. It includes studios, labs and exhibit space for art students in clay, glassblowing, metalwork, painting and sculpture. Art offices will be moving from the Fine Arts Building.

“Most of the relocation will take place during the summer in preparation for summer II and fall classes,” said John Hall, vice president for administration and campus operations. A ribbon cutting is planned for September.

More campus housing is also on the way. Kalpana Chawla Hall, a living/learning environment for 420 students, should be ready this fall. Students living there will be grouped according to their academic major. Two classrooms, computer labs and advising offices for faculty are among the amenities.

“We plan to move the furniture in during July and have it ready for the students to move in during August,” said Craig Zemmin, UTA housing director. An expansion of the Connection Café in the E.H. Hereford University Center is also expected to be completed for the fall semester.

Two apartment projects will get under way later this year. The Silver Stone at Southdale and Pecan streets will house more than 300 students, and expansion of the Meadow Run facility on Summit Street will accommodate 200.

Construction began in January on the Chemistry and Physics Building, with an expected completion date of November 2005. Hall said the University plans to hold classes and lab activity there beginning in spring 2006. The building will not only provide classrooms, instructional and research labs and office space for the Chemistry and Physics departments, but it will include a 200-seat, state-of-the-art planetarium.

An indoor expansion of the Nanotechnology Research & Teaching Facility is also planned this summer to accommodate additional research faculty and new equipment.

— Jim Patterson