Associated Student, Inc. (ASI) still plans to open the new Recreation Center in mid-January, but don’t expect a grand revealing with a red carpet.
University Union Advisory Board Chair Karen Mesrobian said ASI is planning to do a “soft opening” to ensure students receive a positive experience during their first use of the center. She said ASI staff needs to be prepared and students should not have to compete for space with hundreds of other patrons flooding the center.
Mesrobian is working with other ASI students and staff to develop a strategy to release the information to students. ASI has plans in the works to make an announcement immediately prior to the center’s opening, she said.
Despite the lack of an official date from ASI, facilities project manager Perry Judd said the building will be ready to occupy by Monday.
This comes just days after the fire marshal’s inspection check found multiple fire safety issues in the building. Judd said crews are working on fixing turnstiles that do not release in the event of a fire and are moving free weights on the second floor that were causing large reverberations through the first floor ceiling when the weights were dropped.
Judd also said magnesium and iron were found in the leisure pool, both are chemicals that indicate fungi. The pool will be drained and will not open with the rest of the facility.
“It might be a couple days out,” Judd said. “It depends on how quick they get the water out.”
Students have actively discussed the opening since their return to Cal Poly in the beginning of January. Scott Heinichen, a recent Cal Poly graduate who now works with ASI, said students want to get in the center as soon as possible rather than having to take time to plan a grand opening.
“I think everybody’s very anxious to get started and start using this structure because it’s giant and this ongoing project,” Heinichen said.
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