$60 million project expected to be completed by 2016
Big changes are in store for Guelph’s athletes and fitness conscious students in the coming years. An extensive and ambitious two-phase plan, which may very well cost upwards of $60 million, is poised to dramatically change Guelph’s campus for the better.
Since 1941, the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre has been the University of Guelph’s sole retreat for both student athletes looking to sharpen their skills to better represent the Gryphon name, and for students just looking to get active and blowing off some school-related steam. Well, after more than seventy years of loyal service, with only minor expansions along the way, the wheels have been greased and the path has been cleared for the construction of a more modern and cutting edge athletics facility.
This new complex, a true testament to the importance of athletics at Guelph, will redefine the way in which our student body gets active. Phase 1 of the development, which is estimated to cost roughly 45 million, will see the construction of a new athletics complex, boasting a fitness center, three basketball courts, an elevated jogging track, several activity and martial arts studios, and a rock-climbing wall. On top of this, the building will hold an events center capable of housing 2,200 people, several social lounges, and a cafeteria. Phase 2, estimated to cost another $15 million, will see upgrades to all the existing facilities in the Mitchell Athletics Center.
The impetus for this bold new development is two-fold. First, quite simply, the existing facilities are old, outdated and, as U of G’s Athletic Director Tom Kendall puts it, “in need of major repairs.” Secondly, the Mitchell Athletics Center was constructed when the university boasted a combined student-body of 3,500 students. Today, we number nearly 20,000. Admittedly, anybody with the fervor necessary to attempt a workout in the existing gym can agree that you’d have better luck lifting weights in a sardine can. At peak hours, people are shored up shoulder-to-shoulder, and wait times for equipment can be fairly extensive. Our grumblings have not gone unheard, however, as the administration seems to recognize our plight.
“A new building is needed to satisfy the needs of the university community, and will allow us to expand programs to our students and the Guelph community,” Kendall stated.
While seeing the numbers is enough to convince almost anyone that our present facilities might be a little over-capacity, it has taken quite some time for the planning and development phase to conclude. Originally envisioned in 2007 as part of the University’s Athletics Master Plan, construction on the new facilities is slotted to begin during the summer of this year. That is a seven-year gap between conception and construction. Essentially, any Guelph students attending school at the time these facilities were proposed, excluding some possible master’s and doctoral students, are long gone by now. Furthermore, the work is not estimated to conclude until the summer of 2016, meaning that many of us who are here now will also be long in the wind by the time of completion.
Though, this fact has done little to daunt the administration’s enthusiasm for the new project. “I think everyone is excited,” says Kendall. “Students have been very patient as we have proceeded through the planning process. It has been a long process, but we are sure that everyone will be very happy with the final product.”
When asked which aspect of the new facilities he was most proud of, Kendall said, “I think the fitness center and the spaces that will focus on wellness for the campus community,” echoing the large focus the university has had of late on health, both physical and mental. “Also,” Kendall continued, “the social lounges will bring more people to the facility and hopefully increase participation in fitness and recreation programs.”
While this project is obviously an enormous step towards a better campus and university community overall, the question still remains: how relevant are these plans for the students of today? It seems to be one of those interesting situations in which the implications these developments have during the interim are more relevant than the final result.