Late spring opening set for sports park

By: Karen Zurawski - Houston Chronicle

The Memorial Hermann Sports Park-Katy will offer a primary care clinic, a training center and an outdoor turf field when it’s expected to open late next spring.

The 50,000-square-foot facility that costs about $15 million is the product of a collaboration between Memorial Hermann and Athlete Training and Health.

“This collaboration between Memorial Hermann and ATH will benefit the full range of athletes in the Katy community, from high school students to professional competitors, weekend warriors and beyond,” said Maddie Rich, Memorial Hermann Katy senior marketing & communications representative.

The sports medicine and human performance facility will be located on the campus of Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital, 23900 Katy Fwy, Katy.

Chuck Wells, project superintendent of EE Reed Construction, said an outdoor turf field will be built north of the building. The rear of the building also will have an observation deck from which people can view activity on the field. Brick pavers will be placed at the front main entry.

Construction is “cast in place tilt-wall,” said Wells, which saves money and time. Memorial Hermann used that construction method on the nearby six-story, $70 million Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital east tower that opened in 2015. In this type of construction, the concrete walls are poured on site. The walls are “tilted” to a vertical position after the concrete has cured and braced until other elements, such as the roof, are secured.

When asked why Katy was selected as the site for the sports park, Rich said, “This collaboration between Memorial Hermann and ATH will benefit the full range of athletes in the Katy community, from high school students to professional competitors, weekend warriors and beyond.”

She discussed features of the park.

“The facility will host an IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute, Memorial Hermann Medical Group primary care clinic staffed by primary care physicians with sports medicine training, a UT Physicians clinic housing orthopedic surgeons, and an Athlete Training + Health (ATH) training center with an adult fitness space, pro-style weight room and an indoor turf field for performance training,” said Rich. “The facility will also have an outdoor turf field to host a variety of community sports leagues including soccer, football and lacrosse.”

Rich said, “We hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in March but we officially broke ground later in the spring.” In March, hospital officials had said in a news release that the facility was scheduled to open in January.

Visit http://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/katy/memorial-hermann-sports-park/ for more information.

Full Story