The appearance of trailers and mornings marked by loud hammering signals the beginning of much desired renovations to Alumni Gym. The first step of a three-part project to renovate the gym began this week with construction on the Karl Michael Pool.
When the project finishes in February of 2006, the Alumni Gym will include a dehumidification system in the Karl Michael and Spaulding pools, greater accessibility and a fitness center that doubles the current size of the Kresge Gym.
College officials hope that the renovations will address long time complaints by students and faculty alike concerning the substandard quality of the gym facilities.
"We've seen student fitness on the rise overall and we want to accommodate that," Director of Operations and Facilities for Athletics and Recreation Cynthia Crutchfield said.
Perhaps most exciting for students, the primary center of the gym facility will be moved from Kresge to the upper gym on the third floor of the older building. The current stand-in or "drop" ceiling currently in place will be removed to make a lighter, more open space for students and faculty.
"It's going to be a really spectacular looking place," Gorman said. "We are hoping that it will be a fitness center that will really meet the needs of the Dartmouth community."
The gym renovation will also include new equipment, with more details as construction continues.
"This is going to be a facility that will really have a stunning impact on student life in terms of peoples' ability to work out all year long in the cold winter months in a beautiful space on good equipment," Gorman said.
The only current exterior construction project, near the clay tennis courts, is installing a heating, ventilating and cooling system to dehumidify the pool facility. After conducting a study surveying the state of campus athletic facilities, College officials concluded that the excess humidity was the most pressing concern.
Since the original Alumni Gym did not include a pool, proper ventilation facilities were not in place in the Alumni Gym to accommodate the excess moisture when the pool was built. Consequently, the moist air spreads through the building, resulting in deteriorating steel beams and over-heated patrons.
The HVAC system will eliminate these problems.
"The systems in the building will run better because they won't be struggling in the humid conditions," Crutchfield said. "Everything from the computers to the steel beams will be affected."
In addition to improving the air quality, the project will make the gym more visually pleasing, College officials said. The current drop ceiling will be removed, revealing the original steel beams, windows, and a ceiling of approximately 60 feet.
"It's really going to look like it did when it was originally built," Crutchfield said.
Although the pool itself is in fine condition, workers will take advantage of the construction period to mend any tile or grouting that has suffered from general wear and tear.
The second goal of the project is to improve accessibility to the Alumni Gym for the handicapped. The entrance to the gym will be reconstructed to include a wheelchair accessible ramp fabricated from the landscape. Furthermore, an elevator will be constructed with access to all floors.
"If you're a parent and you want to watch your son or daughter [compete], you need full access to the facilities," Gorman said, adding that funding for the project came from a combination of campaign and College funds.
Finally, the construction will include the creation of several new spaces for physical education classes and a complete renovation of the gym facility.
Two new multipurpose spaces will be created around the pool, with a glass window looking into the pool area. These spaces will be available for FLIP and other physical education classes in addition to meetings and gatherings. Some minor improvements to office facilities will take place as well.
