Construction of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center is on track to be completed by its anticipated fall 2012 debut, according to Project Manager Mike Skeldon.
The three−story, 42,000−square−foot building will expand Tufts' current athletic facilities by 25 percent, Skeldon said.
The complex, which will be nestled between the Gantcher Center and Cousens Gymnasium, will hold over 70 new exercise machines, including 16 new treadmills, 12 ellipticals, 16 traditional bikes and 12 seated bikes, according to Assistant Athletic Director of Fields, Facilities and Games Management Tim Troville.
The building will hold new offices for the coaches and athletic staff that are currently housed in Halligan Hall, Troville noted. The first level of the complex will contain new men's and women's varsity locker rooms and an all new sports medicine area, according to Reynolds.
"Standing on the second floor, you really get a sense of how large the facilities will be," Skeldon said.
Construction, which began in April, is currently going according to plan, Reynolds said.
"It's going to start to look like a building within the next week or so," Troville said.
There are currently 40 construction workers on the site, a number that will increase as construction progresses, Skeldon said.
Troville anticipates that the building will be weather−tight by Dec. 1. Contractors plan to install a temporary heating system to ensure construction stays on track through the winter, he noted.
Lighting, furniture and equipment will be installed over the summer, Vice President for Operations Dick Reynolds said.
If all goes according to plan, fall athletes will be able to use the new gym for pre−season training starting Aug. 15, he said. The complex will open to the rest of the Tufts community will be Sept. 1, offering limited hours during orientation week and full hours beginning Sept. 4, Troville added.
Contractors have focused on creating an inviting entrance to the complex, designed to present a welcoming facade to students and visitors, Skeldon said.
"I feel confident that we will have a state−of−the−art athletic complex we can be proud of," Troville said. "It will have a presence."
"I think the new center is really important for Tufts right now," Kate Applegate, a women's lacrosse player and member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, said. "It's time for our gym to keep up with the way our athletes are performing."
Troville hopes the new building will entice members of the Tufts community to take an interest in fitness.
"There's going to be an energy in the building that we currently just don't have," Troville said.
Following the completion of the complex, the university is planning to renovate the Hamilton Pool and the Chase Gym, Reynolds said.
