Eastern’s athletic department’s proposal to replace the natural grass field at O’Brien Stadium with an artificial playing surface was removed from the agenda of Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Interim President Lou Hencken said the proposal was left out of the meeting because the project’s funding was not complete.

“When this was first proposed, I said it would not go forward until we knew that 100 percent of the funds would not come from university money,” Hencken said. “We’re real close but not at 100 percent yet.”

Last week Director of Athletics Rich McDuffie said nearly $400,000 had been raised for the project, but is still shy of the $650,000 to $750,000 estimate for the project.

“We will need to have the whole amount available,” McDuffie said. “I need to show the president I can fund the full $650,000 to $750,000.”

The finances the Athletic Department have raised for the project have come from local (gift) funds. Keeping the project funded entirely by private donations has been one of the key concerns about the project for McDuffie and Hencken.

“We discussed that it’s important to pay for it entirely with outside funds,” McDuffie said.

“Our commitment is not to use any student fee money or any appropriated dollars.”

McDuffie said he will meet with more major donors the first week of February and hopes to have all the funding the project will need sometime in the next month. The athletic department will not be able to get BOT approval until its next meeting in April.

“McDuffie wants to get it done and he understands that we need to know it can be funded,” Hencken said.

Despite losing three months waiting for the BOT to approve the renovation, McDuffie believes the project can be completed before next fall.

“We’re still hopeful construction will be over the summer and it will be completed for the fall season,” McDuffie said.