Following months of anticipation, the Cal Poly Recreation Center opened quietly Tuesday morning after years of construction and planning.
University Union Advisory Board Chair Karen Mesrobian, a philosophy senior, said she carefully orchestrated the opening to allow users the best experience throughout the first day.
“It gives the students a pleasant experience the first time they walk in the facility,” she said. “If they’re waiting in line for a really long time or if it’s really crowded, they’re not going to get the customer service from our staff or the time to just kind of look around.”
One student was already in line at 6 a.m. when the center opened, and Mesrobian said there was a slow stream of additional users coming in throughout the morning. She said she expects hundreds of students flowing in every hour throughout the afternoon, with as many as 1,000 individuals coming to the center today.
The project, which students approved in a 2008 vote, was originally brought about by a lack of available space in the old center. The newly opened center has approximately triple the amount of space for weights, totaling nearly 21,000 square feet.
“It’s a gorgeous facility, it’s amazing state of the art equipment,” Mesrobian said. “Everyone who has come in so far has been really enthusiastic about it.”
The expansion also includes one spin studio, as well as two multi-purpose studios. There is also a Multi Activity Center (MAC) that has capacity to seat 730 people and will be used for small events such as movies and concerts. The outside of the center contains beach volleyball courts, a leisure pool and areas to barbecue.
Although the center is up and running, some of the technology is still being worked on.
For the first two weeks the center is open, users will not be required to use the HandKey security system, Mesrobian said. Instead, users will sign a waiver upon entry into the Recreation Center.
The MAC and rock climbing facility are also closed until the end of their additional construction. Additionally, the leisure pool is closed until crews can clean away magnesium and iron residue found last week.
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Nicely written. Good job Sean.
I find the cost of this facility outrageous at this time. Does this give the poor students somwhere to re-energize after a tough day of protesting higher tuition rates? Maybe the new president will give up his housing stipend so you guys can get some cabana persons. Or better yet,just have the parties at his house. He is making 500K a year and you students won’t “Occupy Cal Poly” for it’s excesses
I find the cost of this facility outrageous at this time. Does this give the poor students somwhere to re-energize after a tough day of protesting higher tuition rates? Maybe the new president will give up his housing stipend so you guys can get some cabana persons. Or better yet,just have the parties at his house. He is making 500K a year and you students get a $72 million dollar facility, where is the hypocritical “Occupy”people now? They are ideologues who want something for nothing at what ever the cost to the rest of us. Maybe you can get a job at one of the BIG UNIONS that are :supporting” you, for the moment. You too will become a cast off of the unions, but have fun till then.
The new Rec Center looks nice. As a faculty member, however, I probably will never find out in person. When the new Rec Center opened, ASI chose to triple the price for university faculty and staff – it now costs more to go to the Cal Poly Rec Center for Cal Poly employees than it would cost us to go to Kennedy Fitness or any other gym in town. I can’t afford the new Rec Center. Unfortunately this means that I won’t be able to participate in athletic activities with my students (the physics department traditionally has sports events for students and faculty to get together, a nice experience for everyone), and as a group we will lead less healthy lives. I am not sure what ASI was hoping to accomplish by charging employees such exorbitant fees – I enjoyed sharing the old Rec Center with students and having the opportunity to get exercise on campus. Instead, a lot of us feel insulted and upset. Does the university really think of its employees as an ATM? If so, they will be sorely disappointed, as almost every professor I have spoken with will not be joining the new Rec Center, and many have written letters to the president and provost, hoping that someone with control will reconsider this decision.