In its first major construction project in 15 years, Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, Ohio, has broken ground on an $18 million recreation and fitness center that is slated to be completed by 2020. The 86,000-square-foot facility will offer indoor spaces for athletic programs and fitness space for the university's students, faculty and staff, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier. The fitness center will feature strength and cardiovascular equipment and spaces for fitness classes and five locker rooms. The field house will provide an indoor practice and training field and will feature an indoor NCAA regulation-size track, which will be the only one of its kind in the region.
The student association at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin, has recommended a $25.5 million rec center renovation project that would increase student fees by $11.29 per credit. A referendum in the spring of 2019 showed almost 50 percent of the 1,257 students voted to refurbish an unused pool area into a multi-use facility, as well as improve locker rooms and shower rooms for more privacy and gender-neutral options, according to a report by The Dunn County News. Other facility options include a dedicated group fitness studio, an exercise space for strength and cardio training and a walking and jogging track. Students would not have to pay member fees for the fitness center.
Construction has begun on the University of Vermont's Multi-Purpose Athletic Center, Burlington, Vermont. The center will be five times larger than previously existing facilities, according to UVM Today. The project entails substantial changes to the 55-year-old Patrick-Forbush-Gutterson Athletic Complex, including construction of the new Tarrant Center, which will be home to UVM's men's and women's basketball programs and other academic, social and cultural programming. A major renovation is also planned for the historic Gutterson Fieldhouse, along with a three-story shared space between the two buildings. More than $32 million has been raised for the project thus far.
A 130,000-square-foot student recreation center will open this October on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky. The facility will sit on the former site of Todd and Dupree residence halls and will be more than double the size of the original space, according to EKU. The new facility is being financed by a student fee increase approved by the 2014-2015 EKU Student Senate. Amenities will include a multi-activity gym with dedicated equipment areas, a two-story rock-climbing wall, a four-lane lap pool, a track, a fitness testing lab and a spa.
Club Industry's university briefs features recent notable openings, real estate transactions and renovations among rec centers at American universities. Do you have news to share with us? Send your news, tips or story ideas to [email protected]. You can also connect with us on Facebook, on Twitter and on LinkedIn.