As part of our College Preview content, we’ll present a package next week about the throng of stadium projects that have come to fruition across the country over the past two years. Washington’s Husky Ballpark won’t be included in that package, but after years of waiting and planning, UW will finally break ground on a significant renovation project this summer.

Thanks largely to a generous donation from long-time Washington baseball supporter Herb Chaffey, Husky Ballpark will get a new clubhouse and a fan amenities building, according to director of baseball operations Kevin Ticen. The fan amenities building will be constructed at the current entrance to the park and will include permanent restrooms, concession stand and ticket offices. The clubhouse will be built just beyond the home dugout down the right-field line. The two-story structure will include locker rooms for the team, coaches and umpires on the bottom floor, and a meeting room and deck on the top floor.

The total cost of the project is $4.4 million, and UW will start getting estimates on redoing the seating structure once construction begins on the first phase. The two new facilities are scheduled to open early in the spring of 2010.

The Huskies have been waiting on a stadium to go with Husky Ballpark since the current facility opened in 1998. The team has played more than 250 home games since the Ballpark opened with temporary bleachers (and concession stands, and restrooms) ever since. FieldTurf was installed in the infield in 2005, while the outfield remains natural grass.