HPER $10 million renovation on university’s to do list
A two-story rock climbing wall and biomechanics laboratory could become next-door neighbors on campus at Utah State University.
That’s the creative process which is underway for a new $10-15 million HPER Building renovation.
The building, which is number two on USU’s list for reconstruction, was built in 1973 for 8,000 students. Now, with enrollment at 17,000, the HPER Building doubles its intended capacity almost every day.
“It’s a highly used facility and it’s been neglected” said Rosie Strong, ASUSU athletics vice president. “It’s
also the gateway to the campus and it’s time to bring it up to date.”
The new building will unite recreation and academics. A 75-foot climbing
wall is in the plans. The wall will be used for recruitment, classes and student
activities.
The building will replace overhead projectors with “smart” classrooms that
can do everything. HPER Building Department Head Craig Kelsey would also like to see an
exercise physiology and biomechanics laboratory in the buildings. He
envisions an academic and recreational package.
The building is being designed, and the design team – consisting of members
of ASUSU, faculty and architects-are surveying other universities for advice
as well. Weber State University, the University of Utah, Oregon State
University and Idaho State University are some of the schools USU is looking
at.
“Once we find out what our peer universities have, we want to upstep it a
little because we don’t want to be on the bottom again,” Strong said.
The building would be built where the current one stands, possibly just a
major renovation. Seismic reconstruction done two years ago brought the building up
to standard, so this project would be to bring it up to the standard that
the university and the students want.
Like a game of shuffling cards, the HPER Building is second to the Agricultural Science Building, scheduled to be rebuilt where the Merrill
Library now stands. Reconstruction of that should start in the spring. If the HPER Building stays second on the list, USU will start lobbying the legislature for funds after
construction on the Agricultural Science Building in the spring.
“I’m sure that in two to four years things will be in place,” Kelsey said.
“But there’s a lot of it there. There’s a lot of money there, it’s an exciting
beginning.”
-natandrews@cc.usu.edu