Queen’s new Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) will have a soft opening on Dec. 1, Athletics and Recreation Associate Director of Facilities and Business Development Herb Steacy said.
New equipment will be installed in the ARC this weekend in preparation for the opening, which will see some gym facilities open for use at 6 a.m on Tuesday.
Steacy said the ARC’s official opening is Jan. 15, 2010.
The two upper gyms at the ARC will be open as well as the pool and fitness areas, he said.
The lower gym, which suffered damage from a flood on Aug. 11, will open in January.
“Athletic equipment and workout spaces are ready to go,” he said. “We really wanted the facility open to the students during exams.” Last night, the PEC’s facilities closed for personal use. However, basketball games and intramural sports will continue to be held in the PEC until January, Steacy said.
“Our last official game [at the PEC] is on Jan. 9 and that will be our farewell,” he said. “Our first official game in the Queen’s Centre is on Jan. 15.”
To decide the layout of the ARC and the best places for equipment, Steacy said professional consultants looked at the proposals and blueprints submitted and then decided how to build the new space for the best and most comfortable movement from one section of the ARC to the other.
Steacy said most of the equipment is already in its place at the Centre, except for equipment such as desks from offices, which are already being cleaned out.
The new fitness equipment for the ARC cost about $1 million, he said, adding that 98 per cent of the equipment at the ARC is brand new.
“We will be moving about 20 per cent of the old equipment,” he said, adding that it consists of pieces bought in the last couple of years still in reasonable shape.
Steacy said Athletics and Recreation decided what new equipment was needed by consulting strength and conditioning staff at the PEC. The staff analyzed current trends, such as the most popular workout facilities.
“There was a whole series of research done a year before purchasing the equipment,” he said. “We looked at our use of current facilities and what were used the most. … Treadmills and elliptical machines are the most popular.”
The new workout equipment has new technology, such as individually mounted televisions on the workout machines and iPod docking stations, Steacy said.
“We tried to look at current needs of students and current technology,” he said. “It’s such an improvement of our current facility. … We’re expecting a crowd at 6 a.m. [on Dec. 1].”
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