The upcoming expansion of the Student Recreation Center was the main issue at last night’s Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate meeting.
The expansion, in the works for approximately 15 months, will officially begin in February, said Colleen Morgan, a project manager for Facilities Design and Construction.
Using projected images of the new facilities, Morgan detailed the construction, which is set for completion in May 2009.
The new facility will be added on to the east side of the existing building, 1400 E. Sixth St., and will include a fitness and weight-lifting room three times the size of the existing one, as well as a new gymnasium for indoor soccer, volleyball, basketball and other activities, she said.
Another key component is an outdoor courtyard, which will also serve as the new home for the Outdoor Adventures office, now inside the Rec Center.
The courtyard will also include sand volleyball courts, rock-climbing walls, grassy areas for various activities and a second level with tiered seating. The courtyard would incorporate the natural surroundings better than the current outdoor swimming area, which “”only has a few palm trees along one side,”” Morgan said.
Morgan’s presentation emphasized the physical transparency of the new fitness room, which will have glass walls along the north and south walls.
“”We will literally be a billboard for fitness when you’re driving along Sixth Street,”” Morgan said.
The new facility will allow “”natural daylight”” along the north and south walls and through a skylight in the fitness room, but will block out the strongest rays along the east and west walls, she said.
The construction will be paid for with student fees “”from 2011 to 2040,”” she said, adding that she hopes current and future students will be pleased with the new opportunities the expansion offers.
The construction will eliminate some current parking, and Parking and Transportation Services is working to fix any potential problems, she said.
Sen. Amanda Collins said she has met with the PTS office to find parking alternatives, some of which will “”hopefully be more environmentally friendly.””
A groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion will occur Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. at the Rec Center. The ceremony will feature refreshments and a mariachi band. The band will be paid for by ASUA, although no payment figures were proposed at the meeting.
