LU Students get to sweat in new recreation building

BY JANET GIBSON

Besides hiring a new president, Laurentian University is about to open the doors to a new recreational facility for students and staff. The two-storey, 60,000 sq. ft. building, designed by ANO Architects and built by local contractor JN Construction, will open in September.  "We're pretty excited about it," said Ron Larwood, manager of active living.

The upper level features a 200-metre, four-lane track; two squash courts; two curtained playing courts for basketball, volleyball and badminton and two climbing walls with eight routes and an auto-delay system. In order to stay within its $10-million budget, JN Construction built a "slightly elongated" track, Larwood said. "It's not a competitive track."

He added users will be able to look out a window no matter which direction they run.

The lower level houses the entrance, lobby and control centre; weight room; cardio room; athletic therapy clinic and change rooms. The two levels are connected by a stairway, which keeps the track free for runners, and an elevator. Wheelchair clients can access the entrance via a ramp.

The building is rated LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Larwood said. The lower level is air-conditioned but not the upper level, which is spacious and well insulated.

Like the existing recreation centre, the new one will give members a fresh towel, t-shirt and socks when the come to work out.

The megaproject got the go-ahead in 2005 when 77 per cent of students voted yes to the student body paying $75 a year for 30 years to cover $6.5 million of the cost. The university is paying $2.5 million and as well as utility and cleaning costs. The department of active living must generate the balance - $1 million - from program costs. "It gives (them) more opportunities to play and be active. In the winter in Sudbury, you don't really want to go outside," Larwood said.

While most of the users are students, staff and their families, the department has sold 332 single and family memberships.

A new facility offers the potential for lessons in squash, running and spinning. But nothing will be done without consulting student representatives. "We will be sensitive to their needs," said Larwood, who has run the department since 1981.