Fieldhouse to be closed during summer
Students who frequent the Fieldhouse will have to shift venues this summer.
As of 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, the Fieldhouse will turn off the lights and close its doors for the summer, said Kevin Kobe, director of campus recreation. The HPER will remain open throughout the summer, he said, and even extend its hours to make up for the loss of the other venue.
The closure is a money-saving measure, he said. Although the Fieldhouse is not directly affected by the budget cuts, campus recreation has to help provide resources to student services, which is funded from state and tuition dollars. Saving money in their department allows them to help out student services more, he said. Also, the Fieldhouse and HPER’s staff is funded through student fees, he said.
“A way to be very conservative with student fee money is what it comes down to,” Kobe said.
The closure is expected to save about $3,000 to $5,000, he said, depending on how many people would be hired to run the facility.
Because of the drop-off in the student population over the summer semester few people use the recreation facilities and it just makes sense to consolidate, he said. There is a weight room in the HPER for Fieldhouse weightlifters, and although the HPER has no indoor track, he said, the few people who would use it can take advantage of the warm weather and exercise outside, or use the outdoor track near the football field.
The HPER makes sense to keep open over the summer, he said, because of its indoor pool. Campus recreation’s biggest concern in trying to make the decision to close the Fieldhouse during the break was trying to make sure their resources were used wisely, Kobe said.
“We’re trying to do the best we can with what we have,” he said.
The Fieldhouse will be closing before finals week is over because it will be used as part of the graduation ceremonies, Kobe said, and a day is required to ready the building for that use. It will reopen Aug. 17, a week before school starts, to allow for training of a new staff, he said.
The HPER’s summer hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
–lisa.m.christensen@aggiemail.usu.edu