April 10, 2006

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College will break ground this spring on a 23,000-square-foot fitness center addition to the Peterson Recreation Center and Alumni Hall in a construction project that is being called one of the most challenging in school history.

The fitness center will feature a three-story glass atrium and a new, unified main entrance for the College community and public to the Slavin Center, Alumni Hall, the Peterson Recreation Center, and the center itself. The fitness center/atrium will be located where the entrance to the Peterson Recreation Center and the loading dock at the rear of Alumni Hall are situated now. Intended for use by the general student body, student-athletes, faculty, and staff, the center will be located on two levels.

Combined with significant improvements and renovations in Alumni Hall, this project will create areas for aerobic and cardiovascular equipment and for free weights, as well as a variety of spaces for social interaction and related support services--consisting primarily of a new sports medicine facility, a newly relocated ticket office, a new locker room for visiting teams, and new athletic laundry facilities. The expanded and modernized sports medicine facility will be relocated to what is now the little-used lobby on the west end of Alumni Hall, along Cumberland Street.

The project is scheduled to start on or about June 1, 2006, and is expected to last approximately 65 weeks, with the opening planned for the beginning of the fall 2007 semester. Its projected cost is $12 million to $13 million. A contractor is expected to be announced shortly. "This facility will become a major destination on campus for the College community and visitors alike," said Mark Rapoza '90SCE, director of capital projects and facilities planning, who will oversee the project.

President expresses support
Discussions about a new fitness center have been ongoing for the past several years. The project has the full support of the school's new president, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. '80. "As someone who uses the facilities in the Peterson Recreation Center, I know how much we need to improve them," stated Father Shanley. He cited three reasons why he believed the fitness center is essential to the College's future. "Most importantly," he said, "we need to improve the facilities for the health and wellness of the entire College community . . . students, faculty, and staff. The changes also will enhance our athletic programs by improving the facilities used by our student-athletes. In addition, we need to undertake this project in order to remain competitive in the health and fitness services we offer."

Layout of the center
The new fitness center will provide approximately 11,500 square feet of space on the first level for cardiovascular and aerobic exercise equipment. One area of the first level--where the current pool sun deck is located--will be reserved for varsity student-athletes. Otherwise, the remainder of the first floor and the entire second floor will be for general campus use.

The second level will contain approximately 4,600 square feet of space for cardiovascular and aerobic exercise equipment and for a glass meeting room that can be reserved by members of the College community for meetings and events. Another approximately 2,700 square feet of space will be utilized for free weights exercise and an observation room that will overlook the new athletic turf field. The three-story atrium will be approximately 4,000 square feet. Its primary purpose is to promote fluid passage to and from the four buildings from a single entrance. The focus of the new design of both the atrium and the fitness center will be an abundant use of glass. The project's architect is SMMA/Hoskins Scott, which designed the College's Master Space Plan and the Suites Hall residence facility.

A challenging project
According to Rapoza, the construction of the fitness center and related work involving four facilities--including the center--will make it "one of the most complex projects that the College has undertaken." Coordination details for the multiple structures and discussions about the buildings' mechanical systems have been taking place for more than two years, he said. Furthermore, code reviews and meetings with building and fire inspectors have been ongoing for 14 months.

Rapoza said that the relocation of some existing operational and mechanical elements--such as the loading dock on the east side of Alumni Hall, the condensers that feed cooling units in the Alumni Hall Food Court, and transformers servicing Peterson, Alumni, and Slavin--all must take place first as well. The loading dock will be relocated to the west end of Alumni Hall.

He also noted that, before construction begins, work related to newly implemented fire and safety codes must be completed and the varsity athletics laundry facilities will need to be relocated and upgraded within Alumni Hall.

Rapoza emphasized that the three buildings impacted by the construction will remain "up and running" throughout the duration of the project "in a safe and appropriate manner. There will be inconvenience; there is no way around that. However, we will try to keep it to a minimum," he said. He added that the equipment in the aerobic/cardiovascular room and weight-training room will be relocated to a site to be determined for the duration of the construction project.

In the coming weeks, administrators and staff members will be working with the contractor, the College's Office of Environmental Health and Safety, and the staffs of departments impacted by the construction to work out building entrance and egress plans.

Rapoza emphasized that the project will do more than provide improved exercise and weight-training facilities. The new loading dock on the west end of Alumni Hall, for example, will allow for a more efficient traffic pattern for both Sodexho Campus Dining food services and the Providence College Bookstore. It also will provide much-needed storage space for the Alumni Hall Food Court staff. Rapoza said that later phases of the project will develop the space being vacated by the weight and exercise equipment in the lower level of Alumni Hall.

Financing the project

Financing for this extensive project will be provided through bonded indebtedness and the College's own resources, according to Michael V. Frazier, vice president for finance and business/CFO. As it did for the Smith Center for the Arts and Suites Hall in 2003, the College will seek to have bonds issued through the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation, he said.

Frazier noted that the money the College will borrow through the bonds will incorporate two other projects. One is the ongoing renovation of St. Catherine of Siena Hall on the East Campus. The other project will be future renovation work in the sciences complex on the Main Campus.

This story orginally appeared in the April 7, 2006 issue of The Spectrum, Volume 13, Number 14.