Colorado State University Celebrates Grand Opening of Renovated Student Recreation Center on March 23

Note to Reporters: Photos of The Rec are available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu.

Colorado State University will celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated, student-funded Student Recreation Center on Wednesday, March 23, at 4:30 p.m. in the Recreation Center lobby.

A reception will be held immediately after the ceremony in Meeting Room A/B of the Student Recreation Center.

“Students made this beautiful building possible, and we are grateful to them for their foresight and leadership,” said Judy Muenchow, executive director of Campus Recreation. “The center is not only a wonderful resource for the entire campus community but a great recruitment tool for prospective students and faculty. The renovations allow us to continue to offer healthy options in supporting student success with a well-rounded college experience.”

The 65,000-square-foot addition completes the $32 million, two-year project for a total of 175,000 square feet. Features include two 38-foot climbing towers, a bouldering wall and cave, four new fitness studios, two state-of-the-art massage rooms, and a new entrance and lobby with a lounge area and smoothie bar.

The final stage of the project is the indoor pool renovation, which will be completed in early April. That refurbishment includes “zero-depth” entry with fountains/sprayer features, a four-lane lap area, 35-person spa, lazy river current channel, shallow activity area for basketball/volleyball, a 12-foot climbing wall, on-deck sauna and a steam room.

Other features of “The Rec” include:

• 24,000-square-foot cardio-weight fitness area
• Multi-activity gym for basketball, volleyball, badminton and soccer
• Outdoor adventure resource room
• Renovation of men’s and women’s locker rooms
• Two gender-inclusive changing rooms
• Refurbished indoor track
• Multiple meeting spaces

The new building was designed to be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold facility as part of an internationally recognized green building certification system. Green features include:

• Reduction of heat-island effect through use of white roof materials on existing building and new roof portions.
• Carpet with a high content of recycled fibers and 100 percent recycled carpet padding/backing.
• Certified wood from forests managed and harvested under stringent guidelines.
• Low-emitting materials including adhesives, sealants, paint and coatings, carpeting and carpet adhesives, composite wood and agrifiber products.
• Environmentally friendly refrigerants in chillers with controls and sensors to monitor the system so the ozone layer is not negatively impacted.
• Installation and retro-fitting of gymnasium lighting to high output, energy efficient fluorescent lighting.

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