CRC closes weight area to prepare Phase II Auxiliary Gym for use
Campus Recreation has announced that the weight room will be closed from June 25 until August 15. Students will be able to use the Barbell Club periodically during the weight room closing period.
‘Sport court’ flooring will be installed in the Auxiliary Gym, currently home to the weight room, from June 25 to June 30.
Following the installation of the flooring, the area will be used for its original programming use, as defined in the CRC design guidelines.
A letter to CRC patrons on their website states “after installation, we can proceed with the original intent of programming in the Auxiliary Gym”
Campus recreation will allow current patrons and fee-paying students to use the Barbell Club as an alternate workout facility. Other than the fitness area closing, all other regions within the CRC, including pools, basketball courts, studios, and the game room, will be open for use. The Barbell Club, located in the lower floor of the O’Keefe gym, offers a variety of free-weight equipment, and a limited selection of aerobic equipment that includes Stairmasters, treadmills and rowing machines.
The closure of campus recreation facilities for the construction of the new CRC is not unprecedented. A previous closing of the facility occurred during Summer 2003, when the SAC facility was shuttered due to asbestos abatement.
During this closure of on-campus student athletic facilities, Campus Recreation provided use of the Georgia State University athletic center and alternative off-campus facilities.
Student reaction to the closings is mixed.
“I knew about [the closing] from the signs, but I didn’t know very far ahead of time,” said Scott Duncan, a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering.
Duncan, however, does not plan on using the Barbell Club facilities. “I’ll probably go swim or run and slack off on the weight training,” he said.
Although students will have access to the Barbell Club for the majority of the summer, pre-scheduled routine maintenance will also shut down all campus recreation facilities from August 8 through August 15.
The Campus Recreation Center will also be closed an additional week prior, from August 2 through August 8.
Brad Thomas, a Chemical Engineering graduate student, recently learned of this week-long campus recreation shutdown.
“I just found out on Monday, that it was going to be a seven-day period between when you can’t use the weight room and you go to the barbell club,” Thomas said.
Campus Recreation’s announcement of the closings promises that “[the] new facility will be worth it in the long run.” However, Thomas is skeptical.
“It’s kind of annoying...I’m hope there’s a lot more equipment,” he said.
