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“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” he said while setting up weights on a machine. “When I heard it would be in a basement, I didn’t think I’d like it, but I like the two separate rooms.”
WSU spent about $740,000 to remodel the former Cotter Junior High building on Seventh Street, which it is leasing to house three of its largest services displaced by an $11.1 million renovation of Maxwell Hall — child care, fitness and health services.
On Thursday, maintenance workers drilled and pounded, and staff scrambled to get the finishing details ready for the start of spring semester on Tuesday.
A steady flow of students worked out at the fitness center in the basement, which opened with limited hours Jan. 10 and will offer regular hours starting Tuesday.
The fitness facility is divided into two areas, with cardio and weight machines on one side and free weights on the other. After navigating the series of corridors, most of the new visitors adjusted to the new setting right away.
“Me and my friends were joking the other day, that this is the girl area and that’s the boy side,” said Mollee Browne. “It’ll take a little getting used to, but I like it.”
The sophomore doesn’t think as many people will make the four-block trek to the new facility at first, but, for students like Yule, Wabasha Hall isn’t much farther away from their homes or dorms than Maxwell.
Students shouldn’t worry about having to walk four blocks to use a fitness center, said Ruth Schroeder, the acting vice president of student affairs.
But the walk may be daunting for those needing health services so the university will provide a free shuttle services between campuses.
“We want to help keep the building connected to campus, because the departments are concerned about isolation,” Schroeder said. “It’s really only a minor inconvenience; we’re just used to having everything in a square.”
“Change is really scary”
The first-floor daycare center has been bustling, with the majority of the children back this week, something the staff spent many hours preparing for since Dec. 26.
“One day I’m writing a grant and the other day I’m laying carpet, whichever hat I need to wear,” said June Reineke, the childcare center director. “There’s a more institutional feeling than Maxwell, but we’ll soften that.”
About 127 children attend the childcare center each day, and the change seems to have gone over well with the children.
“We’re impressed with the transition,” said Amy Reilly, who has three children attend the center. “My youngest was really scared to move. Change is really scary for kids, but after the open house and when he saw his teachers here, then he was OK with it.”
The classrooms are the same size, but cleaned and reorganized. The center is divided into two wings, one for infants and toddlers, the other for pre-schoolers. A new multi-purpose room for art projects and indoor play still needs work, but it’s something the center never had before.
“The layout is so different, and that creates different issues to think about,” Reineke said. “We had to make sure people are aware of security and new safety procedures, how to flow traffic and rethink our food service program.”
“A temporary facility, not a dream”
Ladders and boxes littered the health services’ hallways on the second floor, which will be reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The expanded space has allowed for a larger lab, extra bathrooms, a separate reception area, more exam rooms and an expanded health education room.
“It’s nice to have more space,” said Diane Palm, Health Services director. “But it’s hard to be that far away from students. This is a temporary facility, not a dream.”
The child care center will move back to Maxwell sometime in 2008, while health services and the fitness center will stay in Wabasha Hall for about three years until the university completes a new wellness center as part of a planned $15 million expansion of Memorial Hall. State lawmakers have promised to deliver a third of the funding for that project this year.
The two-year $1.5 million lease of Wabasha Hall provides WSU with the three floors and also shared use of the old gym in the John Nett Recreation Center until June 30, 2008. The university may opt to purchase the building for $2.9 million or renew the lease for an additional two years this June.
Although the details still need to be hammered out and stray posters have yet to be hung, the building will be opening for students—ready or not—on Tuesday.
“We’re still trying to find our groove, but I can’t wait for students to be back,” said Fitness and Wellness Director Jeff Reinardy. “It’ll take us a few days or so to make it work as our to-do list grows.”
Respect wrote on Feb 23, 2007 11:03 AM: