Bilsky to renovate Hutch weightroom

University students may finally get their wish for access to better recreation facilities. Athletic Director Steve Bilsky announced in a memorandum sent to University administrators early last week that plans are being made to renovate Hutchinson Gymnasium's free-weight room. The memo said the University will use information from a "large and ongoing" study of the institution's "overall facility needs for recreation and intercollegiate athletics" in order to determine immediate and future plans for Hutch's weight room. According to Bilsky's memorandum, he and University President Judith Rodin met several times to discuss the problems in Hutch's free-weight room. "She and I believe it is important to go forward with this initiative," the note stated. In the memo, Bilsky said there is "a documented need" for the free-weight room and that Hutch Gym is the "appropriate place for this facility and will be the proper place for the foreseeable future." The document also said money has already been "identified" for renovations and repairs in Hutchinson Gymnasium. But Bilsky would not specify the amount of money the University will designate for the project. "The cost has not yet been determined," he said. When asked for further details about the project, Bilsky said that the memorandum was "clear and concise." "I will let it speak for itself," he added. The University will improve conditions in the free-weight room because "a significant number of students, faculty and staff will be affected positively," Bilsky stated in the document. His memo was sent to Provost Stanley Chodorow, Intramural and Recreation Sports Director Robert Glascott and Committee on Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics Chairperson Edward Lusk. The announcement of plans for renovation follows two months of student complaints about the inadequate conditions of the University's only free-weight room. According to recreation department administrators, students have complained about the gym since they returned from summer vacation and found the free-weight equipment had been moved into a hallway in Hutch's basement. Hutchinson Gym officials moved the equipment because its weight was causing the old free-weight room floor to collapse. Students said the hallway, with its stained carpets, protruding pipes, heat and lack of circulation, provides a poor environment for working out.