About

Watauga County transferred ownership of the former Watauga High School property, located off Highway 105 in Boone, to App State on Sept. 29, 2017. The acquisition of this property, now called Appalachian 105, allows the university to make deliberate choices about growth and build an intentional community.

The property consists of 75 acres and was appraised at $16.7 million.

A portion of the property — the 34 acres that comprised the former high school's track, softball and outdoor tennis courts — has been subdivided with efforts focused on redesigning and upgrading this area to university-level, competition-grade venues for track, softball and tennis.

App State had been exploring other options for development, including student residence halls, a day care facility and student recreation fields. Three interactive listening sessions were held in January 2018, allowing campus and community members to share ideas for the property’s use.

App State continues exploring other options for development to meet the university’s needs for collaborative academic spaces, including event space, parking, residence halls and additional recreation accommodations for students.

Read a summary of themes and ideas

View the property on Google Maps

App State Chancellor Sheri Everts, center, cuts the ribbon for the university’s new Randy Marion Track and Field Facility on April 28, 2023. The facility, located at the Appalachian 105 property in Boone, is named in honor of the Randy Marion family. Pictured with Everts, from left to right, are App State Board of Trustees member Jimmy Barnes; North Carolina Rep. Ray Pickett; Board of Trustees Vice Chair Mark Ricks; App State alumnus and University of North Carolina Board of Governors member C. Philip Byers ’85; App State track and field alumnus Randy Marion Jr. and his children, Victoria Marion, Randy Marion III and Vanessa Marion; Damion McLean, head coach of the App State men’s track and field team; Director of App State Athletics Doug Gillin; App State alumnus and Board of Trustees Secretary Tommy Sofield ’76; and Jada Branch, a senior psychology-health studies major from Stafford, Virginia, and captain of the App State women’s track and field team. Photo by Troy Tuttle

Director of App State Athletics Doug Gillin speaks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the university’s Randy Marion Track and Field Facility, held April 28, 2023, in App State’s Mark E. Ricks Athletics Complex. The new facility is located at the university’s Appalachian 105 property in Boone. Photo by Troy Tuttle

Damion McClean, head coach of the App State men’s track and field team, left, presents App State track and field alumnus Randy Marion Jr. with a miniature replica of the sign located at the entrance of App State’s Randy Marion Track and Field Facility, which is named in honor of the Marion family and located at the university’s Appalachian 105 property in Boone. Photo by Troy Tuttle

App State track and field alumnus Randy Marion Jr., far left, with his three children — Randy Marion III, Victoria Marion and Vanessa Marion — at the April 28, 2023, ribbon-cutting ceremony for App State’s Randy Marion Track and Field Facility, which is named in honor of the Marion family. Photo by Troy Tuttle

App State’s new track and field competition/practice area, located at the university’s Appalachian 105 property in Boone, is shown in this aerial photo taken Jan. 30, 2023. A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the new facilities is planned for April 28, 2023. Photo by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds

App State’s new track and field competition/practice area, located at the university’s Appalachian 105 property in Boone, is shown in this aerial photo taken Nov. 28, 2022. Photo by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds

Construction of the track and field competition/practice area at App State’s Appalachian 105 property is nearing completion, as shown in this aerial photo taken Oct. 27, 2022. Photo by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds

This photo, taken Aug. 23, 2022, shows construction progress on the new track and field competition/practice area at App State's Appalachian 105 property. Construction is projected to be complete in November 2022. Photo by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds

Construction of the new track and field competition/practice area at App State's Appalachian 105 property continues, as shown in this July 8, 2022, photo. Sod has been installed, and workers are preparing the site for paving. Photo by Wes Craig and Chase Reynolds

Construction continues on the new track and field competition/practice area at App State's Appalachian 105 property, as shown in this photo taken April 25, 2022. Construction is slated for completion in summer 2022. Photo by Chase Reynolds

This April 25, 2022, photo displays construction work at the site of App State's Appalachian 105 property. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Construction progress on the new track and field competition/practice area at App State's Appalachian 105 property, as of March 22, 2022. Photo by Chase Reynolds

This photo, taken Jan. 13, 2022, shows construction progress on App State’s new track and field competition/practice area at the Appalachian 105 property in Boone. The stands shown at right in the foreground will be refurbished as part of the project. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Construction progress on App State’s new track and field competition/practice area at the Appalachian 105 property, as of Nov. 9, 2021. Photo by Chase Reynolds

The Appalachian 105 property is cleared for development, as shown in this August 2021 photo. Photo by Chase Reynolds

The grandstand at the old Watauga High School is dismantled June 3, 2021, as part of the App 105 project. Watauga County transferred ownership of the former high school property, located off Highway 105, to App State in fall 2017. Acquisition of the property allows the university to make deliberate choices about growth and build an intentional community. Metal from the grandstand is being recycled. Photo by Marie Freeman

A close-up image of the grandstand being dismantled June 3, 2021, to make way for a new track and field competition and practice area at the App 105 site. The metal is being recycled. Photo by Marie Freeman

The former Watauga High School property, located off Highway 105 about a mile from the main campus, offers new opportunities for Appalachian. Photo by Marie Freeman

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Status

In October 2018, the UNC Board of Governors approved App State’s requests to designate the Appalachian 105 property as having millennial campus status and to move forward with the conceptual design process. In March 2019, the UNC Board of Governors approved the authority to spend money for the competition and training facilities for the university’s track and field, tennis and softball programs.

The university requested April 29, 2019, that the Boone Town Council and Town of Boone Planning Commission rezone part of the Appalachian 105 property, from B3 to E1 — which means educational without residential. The project is being designed by CHA Consulting Inc., of Raleigh.

A phased construction of the project began in May 2021, when Barton Malow was awarded the contract to create the new competition track and field and address underground stormwater retention. A final inspection of the track and field competition/practice area took place the week of March 13–17, 2023, and a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the new Randy Marion Track and Field Facility was held April 28, 2023.

Phase two of the project will include a team support building featuring locker rooms and public restrooms, the new softball facility, outdoor tennis courts and an access road. App State has secured Greene Construction of Boone as the contractor for the phase two development, and construction work for the team support building and tennis courts began in May 2023.

Until the new tennis courts are complete, App State’s varsity tennis teams will use the Rivers Street courts. Those courts were resurfaced in fall 2019 and also serve academic tennis classes and University Recreation.

A third project phase could include the construction of indoor tennis and women’s softball facilities.

A rendering of the finished athletics projects. Image courtesy of CHA Consulting Inc.

This schematic design shows further planned developments for the Appalachian 105 property, including a new softball facility and outdoor tennis courts, as well as an access road. Image courtesy of CHA Consulting Inc.

How is it funded?

Competition and training facilities for the university’s track and field and a team support building with locker rooms and public restrooms are expected to cost $11.8 million. These are being funded by donations to App State Athletics’ A Mountaineer Impact: A Drive for Excellence fundraising initiative.

The new track and field facility is named in honor of Randy Marion, owner of Randy Marion Automotive Group, and his family. Marion provided the lead gift for the facility through App State’s A Mountaineer Impact initiative, and his son, Randy Marion Jr., is an App State track and field alumnus.

At its March 24, 2023, meeting, App State’s Board of Trustees authorized an additional $4 million for the Appalachian 105 project, which was approved by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors at its April 2023 meeting. This brings the total funding for the project to nearly $15.8 million to date. These additional funds will support the completion of outdoor tennis and softball facilities as part of the project’s second development phase.

In February 2023, the UNC Board of Governors authorized $10 million in funding for the project’s third phase developments, to be secured through a debt service fee for the facilities as well as donations and gifts to App State Athletics.

Who will benefit?

The entire campus community eventually will benefit from this project. Since the property is being developed in phases, the first groups to benefit will be students and athletics.

How does it support UNC System Goals and Metrics?

An enhanced campus designed with students, faculty, staff and the public in mind supports recruitment and retention of all members of the university and local communities.