Towne Field House update

To the Williams community,

As you know, last month Towne Field House, a multi-purpose athletic facility that includes the college’s indoor track, was closed indefinitely after engineers identified structural concerns. We are writing to share updates on our work to meet the immediate and long-term challenges for the campus community and our athletics, recreation and PE programs.

We are grateful to an anonymous donor who made a $1 million commitment to help the college with expenses resulting from the closure. The donor was motivated to make the gift out of deep admiration for the benefits of Williams athletics and the work of our coaches. Their gift is in honor of two remarkable coaches whose teams are among the primary users of the space: Pete Farwell ’73, retiring head coach of men’s and women’s cross country, and Kris Herman, head coach of softball and assistant athletic director.

The college has hired structural engineers and architects to determine the viability of reopening Towne Field House. At the same time, we have hired another firm to consider alternative and temporary facilities should the Field House remain closed.

The task force carrying out this work will make recommendations to President Maud S. Mandel. Members are: Associate Director for Operations in Athletics Jill Campbell, Editor-in-Chief in the Office of Communications Amy Lovett, Director of Athletics Lisa Melendy, Vice President for College Relations Megan Morey, Project Manager for Planning, Design and Construction in Facilities Julie Sniezek, Vice President for Finance and Operations Michael Wagner, and Dean of the Faculty Safa Zaki.

We’ll keep you posted with significant updates as we continue to move forward.

Sincerely,

Michael Wagner, VP for Finance and Operations
Lisa Melendy, Director of Athletics