The $39 million renovation to the Recreation Center should be done by mid-August, including several improvements and one completely new facility.
Outdoor Pursuits offers services for individual recreation, including kayaking, rock climbing and renting outdoor equipment.
Stephanie Reinhart, assistant director of Outdoor Pursuits, said the department just completed 47 interviews for students seeking jobs as climbing wall attendants and student "ambassadors," people who will greet other students as they enter the Outdoor Pursuits area of the Field and Sports Building. She said 30 students will be hired for these jobs.
The suite, she said, includes office space, classrooms, industrial washers and dryers, a massive garage to store equipment and a rock climbing wall across the hall from the offices.
Brian Kostelnik, graduate assistant for Outdoor Pursuits, said he's excited to get the program started at Ball State, but it would be unfair to compare it to other MAC facilities just yet.
"You have to crawl before you need to walk," he said.
General renovations are scheduled to be completed by August 18 in time for Welcome Week. Jason Adamowicz, associate director of Recreation Services, said when everything is done, there will be a lot more space and more time available for student use.
The Field and Sports Building currently follows a "shared facility concept," but the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has priority, Adamowicz said.
"The issue was we had all this space, but the priority wasn't for students," he said.
The facility is used primarily for athletics, physical education and recreation. The problem, Adamowicz said, was the disproportionate use of space. Along with limited space is limited time for student use. Ball State has 33 club sports teams, and it seems they usually have to practice late at night. The Ultimate Frisbee team, for example, practiced from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. during their season.
In 2006 it was estimated to cost $23 million, but Greg Graham, interim director of Facilities Planing, said the project will actually cost around $39 million. To help offset the cost, students were charged $90 for recreation fees this year. Adamowicz said he expects students to pay a $120 fee next school year.
Graham said these changes will help Ball State in two ways.
"Compared to other [Mid-American Conference] schools, it will bring us up to par," he said. "But I think it pulls us ahead of other Indiana schools."
Editions include a lounge and study space, more basketball courts and dance space, and a dining component.
Jon Lewis, director of Campus Dining Services, said it's common to have some kind of food delivery in new wellness and recreation facilities.
"There's a major disconnect nationally," he said. "Typically what one might consider healthy food choices does not sell in a recreation center."
Dining Services decided Quiznos would be appropriate, or what Lewis calls a "Quiznos Plus," with an abbreviated menu and grab-and-go snack items.
Before construction began, the fitness room was 5,000 square feet. During construction it was moved to a lower level and the fitness space doubled in size. The new fitness area will be designed on three separate levels: strength training on the first tier, cardio training on the second tier and a quiet space for individual workouts and running on the top floor. The third level also looks out over the other two areas, and it has a large window to let in sunlight.
Adamowicz said the one change students overwhelmingly wanted was a new fitness space.
"At different times of the day, and different times of the week, the building takes on different lives," Adamowicz said. "Later on at night, our student organizations start coming in, and they want multipurpose space to practice."
Adamowicz said the space is scheduled to open August 18 in time for Welcome Week.
"You won't really be able to find a facility of this magnitude at a similar-size college," he said. "We're going to be very competitive, I think, in terms of facilities."
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