Members of the Stony Brook Community have long awaited the opening of the new Campus Recreation Center.
Faculty and students will finally see the doors open after 13 years of planning.
The ceremony and ribbon cutting is set to take place on Friday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m.
“We already had 90 percent of the equipment and furniture delivered and installed,” Associate Dean and Director of Student Life Susan DiMonda said in an email. “Student Employees will complete further staff training on Oct. 13 as we prepare for the ribbon cutting on Oct. 19.”
Along with the ribbon cutting and ceremony, there will be tours of the facility and recreational activities taking place throughout the rec center on that day from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
According to the Stony Brook Recreation Center website, the opening day events will include a Fitness Jam with a variety of different fitness classes taking place non-stop for six hours.
Other events will include handball, basketball, flag football and soccer tournaments.
With the opening of the new rec center, students, faculty and staff will be able to enjoy recreational space for almost 18 hours each day. There will also be three new studios where fitness classes can be offered.
“Open Recreation will be available whenever the facility is open,” DiMonda said. “Cardiovascular equipment and strength training equipment is available all day and we have added 111 pieces of cardio and over 3000 square feet of strength training.”
In addition to being a recreational space, the facility will serve as another area where students can gather. According to DiMonda, lounge areas and wireless Internet will be provided throughout the building.
The new rec center will not be open to athletic teams. Sport club teams and other student clubs that need recreational space or performance space will have priority when it comes to space.
“The new rec center will finally not only provide adequate space for training for the Stony Brook Women’s Soccer Club, but for all other clubs at the same time,” head coach of the Stony Brook University Women’s Soccer Club Daniela Giuliani said. “In the past, teams had to compete with each other to have any room to train properly. Now we will be able to practice throughout the winter to be better prepared for the upcoming seasons.”
“We have hired 80 additional students to work in the center,” DiMonda said. “They have all been working within the Department of Campus Recreation either in the Wellness Center or department offices since Aug. 27.”
These new student workers attended a two-day training session before the fall semester started and have another training session on Oct. 13, which will include fire safety and emergency procedures in the building. They will also be trained on the new software program for access control, equipment issues and program registration.
The Wellness Center that is currently being used as a recreation area for the Stony Brook community will be closed when the new rec center opens.
Once the Wellness Center closes, the old gym equipment will be removed. DiMonda explained that the old equipment will be traded to one of the vendors from whom the new equipment was purchased. The trade-in will allow the University to receive a discount on the new equipment for the rec center.
After the equipment is moved out of the current Wellness Center, the space will be cleaned and prepared for its new role as another performance space where student clubs can meet and practice.
When asked about the delay of the opening of the new facility DiMonda said, “The contractor was still working on completing items in the main gymnasium and throughout the building. Any time you open a building of this size you will encounter delays with construction.”
“The new rec center will attract more students and give them motivation to exercise again,” Giuliani said. “Everyone likes to play with the new toys, so of course the rec center will be a big change on campus.”
