New UMSL Rec Center Packed With Amenities
ST. LOUIS — Though rainy weather impacted the November 2013 groundbreaking of the new Recreation and Wellness Center at the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL), the area’s harsh winter weather has not disrupted the facility’s overall construction schedule. Since building began in December 2013, the project has remained on track for a fall 2015 completion and opening.
Larry Coffin, assistant director of athletics, recreational and intramural sports, told the UMSL Daily in March, “We are in the construction phase now and everything we plan is exponentially more than exists on campus today. It’s going to rival anything in the community.”
The Recreation and Wellness Center was spearheaded by the UMSL student body, and will reflect the needs and interests of the school’s growing community. Inside the angular, multi-tiered facility, students will find a three-lane inclined jogging track, a three-court gymnasium, locker rooms and multiple group fitness rooms for classes such as yoga and martial arts. Weight training and cardio centers will also be included, as will a climbing and bouldering wall, zip line, and a six-lane fitness and recreational swimming pool.
UMSL students have been very involved in the planning process for the new Recreation and Wellness Center, and groups of faculty and students have visited neighboring facilities to generate design ideas. The students voted in 2012 to fund the project through a more than $19 increase in per credit fees. All enrolled students will be free to use the new facility, though faculty and staff will be required to pay membership fees. At the groundbreaking ceremony, UMSL Chancellor Tom George specifically thanked the students who voted to finance the center and acknowledged the role each played in enhancing campus life for future students.
Dean of Students Miriam Roccia, who also participated in the idea-generating facility visits, told the USML Daily, “We are designing a building that will be here for a long time. It will operate 16 to 18 hours a day and provide great opportunities for student recreation, fitness and employment.”
The facility was planned by Cannon Design of St. Louis, which previously worked with the university system on the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Missouri Rolla. River City Construction LLC of East Peoria, Ill., is serving as the project’s general contractor. The firm has also constructed a variety of facilities at the university’s Columbia campus.
The $36 million building is being constructed on the site of two former parking lots just south of the school’s existing Millennium Student Center on the North Campus. The roughly 100,000-square-foot structure is designed to meet LEED Silver certification requirements. Those interested in following the construction of this new facility can view a live stream here.