HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall University is giving students a $30 million reason to avoid packing on the freshman 15.
The school is constructing a new campus recreation center featuring an Olympic-sized pool, four full-sized gymnasiums and a walking/jogging track.
The center also contains a variety of exercise equipment, including treadmills, weight machines and step machines.
The three-story, 123,000-square-foot building is under construction at the corner of 20th Street and Fifth Avenue, across from Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
It's scheduled to open in February.
Marshall President Stephen Kopp thinks the new fitness center will make the university more attractive to potential students.
"The development of the recreation center is vital to the creation of a destination campus environment for the Marshall University community. When new students visit our campus, they see we have state-of-the-art facilities right here, in many cases, next door to where they will reside," Kopp said.
"When they realize that Marshall has so much available to enrich them academically and personally, I believe that is when they really will consider Marshall University as their first choice for their college education experience."
Ronnie May, a project manager for construction at Marshall University, said work on the center began in September 2007.
May said the crews have been hard at work to open on the targeted date.
"We've got guys working 10 hours a day for six to seven days a week," May said. "It will be open in February."
The construction site is the former location of the 20th Street Baptist Church.
May said the church, with membership down, sold the property to the university in October 2006 for $1 million. Months later, the church was torn down and a groundbreaking was held.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall University is giving students a $30 million reason to avoid packing on the freshman 15.
The school is constructing a new campus recreation center featuring an Olympic-sized pool, four full-sized gymnasiums and a walking/jogging track.
The center also contains a variety of exercise equipment, including treadmills, weight machines and step machines.
The three-story, 123,000-square-foot building is under construction at the corner of 20th Street and Fifth Avenue, across from Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
It's scheduled to open in February.
Marshall President Stephen Kopp thinks the new fitness center will make the university more attractive to potential students.
"The development of the recreation center is vital to the creation of a destination campus environment for the Marshall University community. When new students visit our campus, they see we have state-of-the-art facilities right here, in many cases, next door to where they will reside," Kopp said.
"When they realize that Marshall has so much available to enrich them academically and personally, I believe that is when they really will consider Marshall University as their first choice for their college education experience."
Ronnie May, a project manager for construction at Marshall University, said work on the center began in September 2007.
May said the crews have been hard at work to open on the targeted date.
"We've got guys working 10 hours a day for six to seven days a week," May said. "It will be open in February."
The construction site is the former location of the 20th Street Baptist Church.
May said the church, with membership down, sold the property to the university in October 2006 for $1 million. Months later, the church was torn down and a groundbreaking was held.
There's a smaller student fitness facility in Gullickson Hall adjoining the Cam Henderson Center. It contains a weight room, various treadmills and other cardiovascular machines. May said that facility would remain open after the new center opens.
The construction is being funded through a partnership between Marshall and Capstone Development Corp., a firm based in Birmingham, Ala., that is underwriting bonds to pay for the university's building projects, including the recreation center and new residence halls located next door.
The total project cost is $94 million. The new dorms, called the First Year Freshman Residence Halls, opened in August and house 800 students.
Capstone is overseeing construction and operation of the new buildings until Marshall can pay off the bond debt using revenue generated from the facilities. After a 30-year payment period, when Marshall pays off the bonds, ownership of the facilities will revert to the university.
Students will swipe their Marshall identification cards at the front door to gain entry to the new center. The entry fee for the recreation center is to be included in tuition.
One of the highlights will be a 32-foot climbing wall.
The wall will be visible through windows facing 20th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Other features include a three-lane lap pool, a six-person whirlpool, juice bar and pro shop.
Kopp said he's excited about the recreation opportunities.
"It is going to be a magnet for people to gather and focus on wellness and fitness and have at their disposal everything from a climbing wall, juice bar, racquetball and basketball courts, to a fully equipped fitness center, group exercise rooms and a three-lane jogging track," Kopp said.
"When you really consider all it will offer, it is really quite impressive."
Contact writer Matthew Thompson at matthewthomp...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4834.
If Marshall was rated as the most unhealthy campus in America, then the article would be ironic.
The facility MAY be open to the public for a fee, but it doesn't say that in the article, and that's not really the point of the facility.
So yeah, Marshall U will be an island of healthiness.
Dude, you need to learn the difference between a NEED and a DEMAND.
There is a need for these fat people to exercise. That doesn't automatically translate over to a demand for it.
Like Herdtard said, the demand there is for double whoppers with cheese. And large fries.