After more than a year of construction and 10 years of waiting, the ISU athletic department finally has as indoor practice complex.

Wednesday was the beginning of spring football practice and the first of many uses for the Bergstrom Multipurpose Indoor Training Facility.

“It’s an unbelievable facility. We’ve been working for it, hoping for it, raising funds for it since I took the job,” ISU head football coach Dan McCarney said. “It’s here and it’s in place. What a great alternative we have now in case the weather does get bad.”

Dan Baxter, project engineer for the Weitz Company of Des Moines, said constructing the complex was a difficult task.

“The unique geometry of the building was the most difficult. It certainly isn’t a square building,” Baxter said.

“Every height inside the ceiling is different. This is very unique, and this is the first one — it’s pretty exciting.”

McCarney said he has been campaigning for this facility since he first started at Iowa State.

“When I came in for my job interview, it was something that I said had to be done,” McCarney said. “I said, ‘I know its not at the top of your list, but it’s at the top of my list. In this part of the country, its a necessity, not a luxury. We’ve got to get it done.'”

After nine seasons in Ames, McCarney finally got his wish.

Inside the $9.6 million, 88,000-square foot facility is a 100-yard field with two 10-yard end zones and 10 yards of extra space around the field. The field itself is 81,480 square feet.

A mixture of rubber and sand was used for the artificial grass instead of using artificial turf.

“It’s a newer product,” Baxter said.

“There’s a lot of it overseas in France and Sweden. I know Scotland and Ireland use it for soccer fields over in Europe.

“It’s a synthetic material. They lay down a half-inch of sand, an inch and three-quarters of ground-up tires, and the total weight of it ends up being about eights pounds a square foot, and that’s what holds the turf down.”

Baxter said the turf took four weeks to lay down.

The lighting has also been specially designed for indoor practice.

“This is really going to be one of the top facilities in the country,” McCarney said.

“It’s the indirect lighting; it’s the space we have; it’s the sidelines that we have. It’s a safe, secure place to practice, and we don’t have to worry about running into things.”

The lead donors for the multi-million dollar project were Steve and Debbie Bergstrom. Steve is the former president and chief operating officer of Dynegy electric company.

The Bergstroms have also helped with a new 97-seat computer lab in the Gerdin Business Building, the Strength and Conditioning Room in the Jacobson Athletic Building, student-athlete scholarships, the ISU marching band, the Business College Founders Club, the Allen Scholarship Fund and the Business Dean’s Advisory Council Fund. Their son, Jeff, is also walk-on to the men’s basketball team.

McCarney said there won’t be a better indoor facility anywhere.

“I haven’t been in all of them, but I’ve been in many of them around the country, and there won’t be an NFL or college one that I’ve seen or heard about that would be any better than this,” McCarney said.