Fitness facility proposed for West Campus
Construction would likely take a couple of years, according to plant operations project manager Mark Bowen. The wellness center would have its own dedicated fee within the student fees.
“We are presently working to establish parameters for the total cost and the fee needed to fund the project. It is too early to speculate what that number will be,” Bowen said.
Once the university decides what it wants and can afford in the facility, conceptual drawings and financial analysis will be completed this summer. Bowen said the school should have a range, if not a certain student fee, to propose this fall.
“It will go before the student committees (SGA) to determine if they want to approve a full-time fee for the facility,” said Pete Shields, vice president for business and finance. “All mandatory student fees then go up to the Board of Regents for its approval. If we get both those approvals, that’s when we would actually start the construction.”
After the Board of Regents accepts the proposal, a bond will be officially assigned. Shields said approvals would arrive around next January.
Similar projects have been funded by the Georgia Higher (education) Funding Authority. Shields said the bonds are usually paid back from a dedicated revenue source. GCSU’s first example is the campus theater being paid back by the lease on a book store.
Design and financial players are involved in the process. Companies Menefee and Winer out of Atlanta and Cannon Design of Boston are collaborating in the development of the recreation facility. Financial experts Brailsford & Dunlavey from Washington, D.C., will serve as a financial consultant in various stages of the project.
Project manager for Brailsford & Dunlavey Craig Levin said his firm has worked with Cannon Design in creating over 200 recreation centers nationwide. Levin says he could not comment on a potential budget numbers until the logistics of GCSU’s facility are determined.
“Right now, we are getting the model and potential expenses,” Levin said. “It’s just getting the right people to be able to get what’s best for the school.”
Tony Menefee, co-founder of Menefee and Winer and principal in charge, has overseen numerous commercial, academic and recreational developments in the Southeast. Shields said Menefee will design the building and oversee the construction company.
“I enjoy the fact that we’re creating buildings that will be around for 50 to 75 years that will outlive me as an architect. I remember enjoying spaces like this. It’s very gratifying to go back into a building you designed and see it populated with students using it the way you envisioned,” Menefee said.
Menefee has been involved in the design of several baseball, soccer, golf and tennis facilities at the University of Georgia, as well as work at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
Economic Contributions
Shields said the slow economy helps a smaller community like GCSU attract these high-rank firms.
“The prices of the bids are going down because you’re more competitive, as the bigger companies are interested in us,” Shields said. “We wouldn’t have been worth the drive down to Milledgeville before, but now they are hungry.”
As far as the construction method goes, Bowen said hiring a construction manager to oversee the project has worked for GCSU in the past. The construction manager acts like a general contractor, who bids out the smaller parts of the job.
“The contracted construction manager and architect work together,” Bowen said. “Once the design is completed, the construction manager gives a guaranteed maximum price to build the facility.”
Bowen said whomever is chosen to handle the construction needs to be familiar with all the aspects of a recreation building.
According to Shields, the construction company will probably be regional. Big jobs like this could provide work for smaller contractors in the Middle Georgia area.
“Generally, (the construction supervisor) will hire locally. They may have a master crew, but they’ll hire plumbers, etc., out of local cities,” Shields said.
Campus Feedback
The potential for a larger campus wellness facility is exciting for sophomore environmental science major Jeff Brittain. Before spring break, Brittain stopped by the open forum in Magnolia Ballroom to give his input on the facility and meet the visiting firm executives.
“I think it would attract a lot of people if we had a nice, new wellness center on West Campus. I think it’s great that they’re asking for our input. The school is definitely open to it even though they are getting budget cuts. They are still looking to build and put more money into the school,” Brittain said.
The most popular facilities for students who stopped by were an indoor pool, rock wall, multipurpose rooms for exercise classes and large basketball courts. Shields said students who missed the open forum can still give feedback at the Wellness Depot over the next few weeks. Students can look at pictures of similar recreation centers to pick out what they want to see in GCSU’s model.
A larger wellness center would have all the facilities in one location and provide a more convenient setup for students. Instead of aerobics classes interrupting a game on the Centennial Center courts, everyone would have their own space.
Shields said the wellness center will help tie West Campus into the rest of campus. Menefee and Shields agree these facilities are great recruiting tools.
“At most campuses, one of the first stops is the recreation center. Today’s kids are more aware of healthy lifestyles. We hope to make West Campus look like the rest of campus, as well as getting it in everybody’s mind as a destination. It should help in the entire wellness culture of the campus,” Shields said.
Bowen said the school has heard from the student body for a long time about bringing an upscale wellness center to GCSU.
“This will most definitely be an important aspect for Georgia College,” Bowen said. “Not only for the students who are going to pay, but for many who come after.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 3 2009. Filed under News.
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