St. Thomas has announced plans to build new facilities for its hockey, baseball and softball teams, putting the hockey arena on campus and targeting St. Paul's Highland Bridge development as a potential site for the ball fields.

In a Tuesday news release, athletic director Phil Esten said a multi-purpose facility for the men's and women's hockey teams is likely to be built on its south campus. The school previously explored off-campus sites, including Highland Bridge and St. Paul's Town & Country Club, for a hockey arena. St. Thomas is soliciting proposals to design and build the facility, but it has not disclosed details such as seating capacity or cost.

Funding sources for the projects has not been announced, and Esten said the plans will not be finalized until the money has been raised. He expects a builder for the arena will be chosen by late December.

The plan would move baseball and softball from their current homes on campus to Highland Bridge, the multi-use development on the site of the former Ford plant in St. Paul. Esten said St. Thomas is exploring the former Canadian Pacific Railway site for the ball fields and indoor training and parking facilities. The school has made an agreement with the St. Paul Port Authority to begin environmental cleanup and to buy the property once the cleanup is complete.