The $13 million, 154,000-square-foot Plaster Center opened in Spring 2015 and has since become a hub for athletics, community events, and national competitions.
It includes the 300-meter Harvey Dean Track, a 100-yard turf field, an 11,000-square-foot strength facility, locker rooms, and seating for up to 1,500 spectators.
To date, the Plaster Center has hosted 87 track meets and the NCAA Division II National Indoor Championships five times, drawing tens of thousands of people to Pittsburg. The influx of athletes, coaches, and fans has boosted local hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and shops, and generated sales tax revenue and sustaining local jobs.
The center also hosts the annual Four State Farm Show, serves as a staging area for Pitt State Commencement ceremonies, is the site of the annual Gorilla Kickoff Party and Auction, welcomes numerous community events such as Special Olympics, was recently the venue for the statewide To The Stars awards event hosted by the Department of Commerce, and provides space for large career fairs that draw recruiters from across the Midwest.
“Every major event we host brings in visitors who spend money right here in Pittsburg and Southeast Kansas,” said Vice President of Athletics Jim Johnson. “The Plaster Center has helped establish Pittsburg as a true destination for athletic and community events, and the new outdoor complex will build on that success.”
Construction got underway this fall on the university’s next major athletics investment: a new outdoor track and field complex being built between the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts and the Crossland Technology Center.
The $10 million project is led by Mammoth Sports Construction. It features an eight-lane Beynon track, fencing, storage buildings, a practice area, and seating for up to 1,700 spectators. Completion is scheduled for March 2026 in time for Pittsburg to host the MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The project is being largely privately funded.
For the next phase, the City of Pittsburg has approved $1 million from the Revolving Loan Fund at the recommendation of the Economic Development Advisory Committee. This funding will assist in completing the project, to include seating and lighting. Such amenities will allow the facility to host up to 14 multi-day events over the next five years, with an anticipated 36,000 attendees spending an average of $88 per day for three to seven days.
According to Michael Davidsson, director of the Business & Economic Research Center, hosting these large outdoor meets could generate big benefits for the region: up to $3.4 million in new sales, 37 new jobs with a combined $1 million in income, and $137,000 in production and import taxes.
“The new outdoor track will open the door to events in months that are typically slower for Pittsburg’s economy,” Johnson said. “This project represents a powerful partnership between the university, the city, and private donors, and it will create ripple effects that extend far beyond campus.”
The Plaster Center’s Harvey Dean Track set the standard for excellence when it opened, earning Pitt State the opportunity to host four NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championships (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022) and four NJCAA National Championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022).
The track’s Mondo Super X Performance surface — the same used in nine Olympic Games — and its flexible event space have made it one of the premier indoor facilities in the Midwest.
“Together, the Plaster Center and the new outdoor complex will give Pittsburg State one of the finest combined track and field venues in the country — and continue to generate economic, athletic, and community impact for decades to come,” Johnson said.