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Rec Center Expansion Since the opening of the Student Recreation Center almost twenty years ago, the Texas A&M student body has increased by twenty-five percent and continues to grow substantially. With an average of over 1.2 million entries per year, the Rec Center has essentially operated at capacity from the beginning. In order to address this problem and accommodate a larger portion of the student body, Rec Sports has embarked upon an extensive expansion/renovation of the Rec Center. The $54 million expansion/renovation project includes 113,000 square feet of new construction, which will increase the size of the Rec Center by twenty-five percent, and 56,000 square feet of renovation. The project is being funded without an increase in the Recreational Sports fee! Specific improvements to the facility include:
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• Increased Strength & Conditioning Space: The size of the current weight room, which houses both strength and cardio equipment, will be doubled and will include the addition of a personal training suite and an indoor turf area for movement training such agility and speed work, plyometrics, body weight and core training exercises. • Additional Gymnasium: The addition of a new gymnasium will increase open-recreation opportunities by adding multi-use court space that can accommodate 2 basketball courts, 4 volleyball courts and 1 soccer court. • New Activity Rooms: Three new activity rooms will be added to provide additional space for Group RecXercise classes, Specialty Classes and heavy bag/boxing activities. Two larger, multi-use rooms will be constructed to accommodate student groups and outside events, and a large, auditorium-style meeting room seating approximately 120 will also be added. • Second Entrance: An additional entrance will be built on the south side of the facility, facing Olsen Field. • Outdoor Plaza: An outdoor plaza will be constructed on top of the expanded weight and fitness room and will include a large patio with outdoor kitchen facilities. • Additional Pool: An eight-lane, twenty-five-meter indoor lap pool will be added to reduce scheduling conflicts with aquatic events in the natatorium. • Natatorium Renovation: Retrofitting of all mechanical components, as well as cosmetic upgrades including new tile, paint, lighting, bleachers, etc. will be completed. • Lighting Retrofit: All light fixtures will be replaced throughout the facility to improve light efficiency and reduce energy costs. Although the Rec Center will remain open throughout the expansion process and interruption to member access should be limited, some facilities and programs may be unavailable at times. The expansion and renovation project is scheduled to be complete in January 2016. Upon completion, the Rec Center will be among the nation’s top collegiate recreational facilities.
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