New facility may not be so feasible

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University of Maine Vice President Richard Chapman recently sent an e-mail via FirstClass to students requesting their assistance in a feasibility study. The study has to do with the possibility of a “cutting-edge recreation and fitness center” being constructed on campus.

There are three options available according to the survey. Option A is a complete overhaul of our current recreational facility. The new 98,000-square foot, state of the art complex would meet the current national standards for university student recreation facilities. It would include a large weight and fitness space, four multi-use gymnasium courts, an eight-lane swimming pool, an indoor track and more.

The second option is for a 74,000-square foot building with one less gymnasium, a smaller pool and no social lounge as in Option A. The end result would be a student recreation center that would meet 75 percent of the accepted national size standards.

Option C would mean a 51,000-square foot expansion of the existing recreational facility on campus and fewer of the above options.

As college students are well aware, nothing is ever free. Each option comes with an estimated fee for students wishing to use the facility. Option A clocks in at a hefty $100 per semester. Option B is more reasonable at $75 per semester, while Option C comes in at $50, slightly more than a Latti pass.

While we commend the university for seeking student’s opinions before breaking ground on such a project, we hope that our input will be taken into consideration when it comes to making final decisions. We also hope the university will take into consideration the time element of completing such a project before new fees appear on the bills of students who may never even see the completed project.

Though we see the benefits of having a state of the art recreational complex here at UMaine, such a project seems out of reach in a time when professors are being let go, Winter Term is being cut, course sections are being compromised and our system as a whole is feeling the effects of a budget crunch.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 11th, 2002, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.