After nearly four years of planning and two years of construction, the CSUN Student Recreation Center is within months of completion.
The center is on pace to be completed by the end of the Fall semester and open January 25th, 2012, which remarkably is right on schedule, despite an earlier CSU budget delay and periodic setbacks from troublesome weather.
Construction is going at a torrid pace.
Over the past week, glass panels were installed on the west exterior main entry of the center, which marks the end of exterior work until all the large building materials are loaded through the south end of the center.
“Once this is complete, the building will be closed and no longer affected by inclement weather,” said Bryanne Knight, Recreation Center Project Coordinator.
Additionally, the pool slab base was delivered, which will be spread around the pool area and compacted, followed by the installation of rebar and pouring of salt finish concrete, according to Knight.
With $70 million invested and about 118,000 square feet, the new center intends to leave nothing to be desired.
The three floors will hold a myriad of facilities, including space for basketball, volleyball and badminton, an indoor track and a rock climbing wall. The center will also feature a recreational pool and a drop-in babysitting service.
The new fitness center will take up about 18,000 square feet, tripling the size of the old one.
The center will also create more than 200 new jobs, which will be filled between fall 2011 and January 2012.
While the center offers students and faculty alike a place to let loose and have fun in the short-term, the more concrete intention of the center lends itself to the bigger picture of longevity and wellness.
” It will be the home for programs and activities that promote the development of a lifelong active living philosophy,” said Aida Johnson, Student Recreation Center Director. “The SRC will focus on you and your personal goals while providing opportunities for the entire CSUN community to enjoy fitness, recreation, and leisure time activities in an environment that is fun and friendly.”
While the new center will be an unprecedented facility in the Cal State University system, it comes with a price.
On top of the current USU fee of $120 per semester, an additional fee of $25 was implemented in 2007 and has increased by $10 each year, reaching $55 in the 2010-2011 school year. That figure stands to increase nearly 160 percent in 2011-2012, costing students $130 per semester.
While the increased fees are less than ideal, the center appears by all accounts to be well worth the price of admission. Center coordinators anticipate around 3,000 people frequenting the facilities each day.
It will truly be the ultimate place Where Matadors Play.
