Blueprints are in the works for two student-centered facilities - a new union and recreation center. Groundbreaking for the two projects, with a total estimated cost of $93 million, is scheduled for next year.
"Both projects are a response to what students have asked for in surveys and to the needs of our growing campus," says Blake Douglas, assistant director for Moyer Student Union facilities, conferences, and scheduling.
A new 135,000-square-foot student union will be built in two phases to replace the current 75,000-square-foot union. The first phase will include the construction of a three-story building, located east of the existing building. It will contain an expanded food service area, 300-seat theater, computer lab, meeting rooms, lounges, and offices.
After the first phase is complete in 2006, the current student union will be demolished and reconstructed to include a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, expanded games room, a convenience store, and catering facilities.
Douglas says the facility should be fully operational in summer 2007. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center will be constructed in the Thomas & Mack parking lot, just north of the new Dayton Complex residence hall. It will house student recreation, health, and counseling services.
Scheduled for completion in late 2006, the recreation center will feature indoor lap and leisure pools, a whirlpool, and an outdoor pool. Two multipurpose activity courts, two racquetball courts, a fourcourt gymnasium, indoor jogging track, expanded fitness and exercise rooms, and a food service component will also be included. Architects are DMJM and Hastings & Chivetta Architects.
Douglas says the future of the existing recreation center, the Paul McDermott Physical Education Complex, has yet to be decided.
Both projects will be funded entirely through student fees. The student-approved fees are being phased in and will progressively increase up to $173 per semester in fall 2006. Students who pay the increase and graduate before the projects are complete will be able to use the recreation center at no charge for an equal number of semesters that they paid an increase in fees, Douglas says, adding that "after the recreation center is complete, we plan to offer community and faculty/staff memberships."
