U. plans to renovate Hutch Gym by April

Renovations to the Hutchinson Gymnasium are currently underway, Recreation Department administrators said this week. Repairs are expected to be completed by April 1. Until then, students will have to wait for floors to harden and the ventilation system to be put in place. The renovations are expected to cost the University $220,000, Vice President for Facilities and Management Arthur Gravina said yesterday. And over the semester break, non-varsity athletes had no place to work out because Gimbel Gym was closed. The varsity weight room was also closed to those who do not participate in varsity sports. Last semester, equipment was moved into the hallway adjacent to the weight room because insurance could not cover costs of damage to the old floor. Over break, the area was closed while renovations began. But today, the hallway weight area will open and it will remain open until the repairs are completed. According to Recreation Assistant Director John Hamrick, the repairs will take a long time primarily because the newly poured concrete floor will take about 60 days to dry. Once the curing process is completed, rubber flooring specifically designed for weight rooms will be put down, Gravina said. Hamrick added that contractors have begun demolishing the old ventilation system, and will replace it as soon as possible. Director of Support Services for the Athletic Department Larry Lauchle gave April 1 as a tentative target date for opening the new weight room. "You won't see the final product until then," he said. "Hopefully students will understand and everything will work out. It will be an improvement." College junior and Undergraduate Assembly member Eric Tienou said he was willing to wait. "As long as they get it fixed, I don't have a problem with the timetable," he said. "If it's done before I leave for the summer, I have no problem with it." Because Physical Plant is knocking down a wall between two smaller rooms in the basement, the square footage of the weight room will increase by almost 1000 square feet. "It's going to be as large as the varsity weight room," Hamrick said. He added, though, that there are no plans to add new equipment to the weight room in the near future. "As our budget dictates, we'd like to add more equipment but it depends on how much money we have," Hamrick said. He added that currently, no money has been directed at that purpose. Although Tienou said he thinks the weight room needs new equipment, he said he does not plan to deal with the issue until the actual facility is repaired. The repairs follow months of student complaints about the equipment, air circulation and overall environment in Hutch's basement. In October, students developed and signed a petition requesting better facilities, equipment and environment. Although officials originally had no definite plans to repair the weight room, Athletic Director Steve Bilsky later said he and his department would work to assess and improve the situation. At the time, Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Carol Scheman became involved as a representative from the president's office. Scheman said administrators debated whether to include the situation in immediate or long-term plans, finally deciding to make it an immediate project.