After recently confirming funding from the state, a preliminary 3-D, two-story model of the new Campus Recreation Center has been revealed. Dean of Students Jeffrey Waple gave SGA a first look at the $34 million facility at the March 28 meeting.
The model and photos will be on display in Waple’s office (SU 301) and in the current rec center.
The model is currently 75 percent design done, according to Waple, meaning that 75 percent of it will be put into place during construction and 25 percent of it will be changed. Waple said all court sizes are finalized, but some room sizes and amenities are still being tweaked.
The final model is set to be completed by September or October, Waple told SGA.
The new rec center, which will stay in the same location on campus, will increase in size from 67,000 square feet to about 190,000 square feet. The exterior of the building will be glass, similar to the look of Griffin Hall, and the inside will have an open concept floor plan.
On the first floor of the center, the model is set to include an Olympic-sized swimming pool, with a climbing wall that extends from the pool where students can climb up and jump off back into the water. With the pool, there will be a 30-person hot tub and 80-foot television projected onto the wall, where students can host social events.
There will also be separate work out spaces that are more secluded for privacy.
The second floor will hold the equipment, where the committee in charge of the rec center plans to include 500-600 new pieces. An option for treadmills, according to Waple, is one seen first at the University of Dayton that shows the terrain runners are following on a personal screen.
The track will be located in the same place, but will be replaced with a different surface more conducive to running.
Throughout the rec center, there will be six different courts; three for basketball and three others that will be for indoor soccer, rollerblading, racquetball and other activities.
The committee in charge of the building plans has set a tentative completion goal of December 2015, although there is not currently a plan for construction. Waple said this building will be a “two year or less project.”
The rec center and the almost completed intramural fields will ultimately create 100 more student jobs, Waple said, with extended hours and more space to cover.
After construction, which will take away the gravel lot behind the current center during construction, there will also be about 100 new parking spots created.