Kyle Field: Lakeside Property?

The $485 million Kyle Field redevelopment is almost complete, with all construction due to be finished before Texas A&M's first home game against Ball State on Saturday, Sept. 12. But there's one addition to the area around Kyle Field that will apparently come in 2016: A lake.

Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp spoke at a meeting of the Beaumont Rotary Club last month, and according to the Beaumont Business Journal, "Sharp said the university recently received money from a donor to add a lake to the east side of Kyle Field for tailgating that will probably be ready for use in 2016."

The keenest of observers will remember that the original stadium renderings that surfaced in February 2013 included a lake in Spence Park, just east of Kyle Field. Of course many things have changed since then, including adding an overhang/press box to the east side, changing the brick color, removing the west side parking garage, and many other cosmetic changes. But if Sharp's comments are accurate, a Spence Park lake could become a reality by next season.

Spence Park is a prime tailgating are on gamedays, but many think it could use some beautification to become a truly unique tailgating setting in college football. A group of former students launched the site www.anewspencepark.com as a grassroots effort to make a grander Spence Park a reality, and their plan includes - spoiler alert - a lake.