Mitch Fox/The Hoya Craig Munroe (MED ’05) concentrates on his weightlifting in Yates. The floor of the free weight area is one of several planned renovations.
Renovations continue at Yates Field House following a summer of work designed to enhance the structure and facilities. Planned improvements to the gymnasium include repairing and waterproofing the roof area and installing air conditioning.
According to Director of Yates Field House Jim Gilroy, other proposed projects include repairing much of the gym’s floor surface, installing new lighting and repainting the ceiling.
Gilroy said that the air conditioning and new lighting should be completed in the gym by the end of 2002. Installation of the pipes and air-conditioning units began in July.
“We’ve been fighting for it and we finally built up our reserves to the point where we can afford to have it done,” Gilroy said. “The air conditioning is something we think everyone will like.”
“The air conditioning will hopefully be up before I graduate; I know it’s been a constant demand [among students] for as long as I can remember,” Eileen Moynihan (COL ’03) said.
The replacement of the Astroturf on the football field and the resurfacing and waterproofing of the roof deck began earlier this summer.
“The difficulty with the roof is that we have a 22-year-old building with people running on the roof – leaks were created over the years,” Gilroy said. “This time we just ripped up everything that was up there and resealed and replaced it.”
The roof work is now complete, except for one section of the deck that has not yet been repaved. Because of structural difficulties, scaffolding will be placed through part of the weight room and the volleyball court to support that part of roof, according to Gilroy. These areas will be closed until construction is complete.
“We’ve got architects designing the fix for [that section of] the roof, so we’re sort of on hold right now,” Gilroy said.
Chair of GUSA’s Housing and Facilities Advocacy Committee Brian Morgenstern (COL ’05), met with Gilroy on Sept. 17 to discuss air conditioning installation and other possible changes at Yates.
The committee, one of seven student-run committees GUSA organizes, relays concerns from the student body regarding university housing and facilities to the administration.
“Students have a right to the most convenient and the most useful facilities possible,” Morgenstern said. “This committee is absolutely necessary to make sure any concerns students have can be voiced.”
Renovation of the weight room floor, which was scheduled for this summer, had to be postponed because of the scaffolding’s uncertain future, Gilroy said. The management is planning to replace floors throughout the gymnasium in the near future, however, when roof repairs are completed.
The weight area may also be expanded and moved to the surface where the volleyball court is currently located, according to Gilroy.
“We’ve talked about the possibility of switching the weight area and the volleyball court so we can put mirrors along the wall, because people who do weights often like to check their form in the mirror,” Gilroy said.
According to Gilroy, the installation of a sound-system is not feasible, because of the open-plan layout of the building as well as members’ preference.
“I think students in general would like the music, whereas non-student members might not be so happy at having music piped at them all the time,” Gilroy said.
After the lack of air conditioning, many students cite the condition of exercise equipment as the next major disadvantage at Yates.
“Probably the worst thing is the actual equipment is pretty bad; it’s pretty old,” Paul Hewson (COL ’04) said.
The addition of a free-weight bench to the weight area might be a possibility, although it entails certain safety measures.
“Free-weights have always had a higher incidence of accidents associated with them,” Gilroy said. “There is a possibility that we will add free weights, but I would want to make sure the area was staffed and there was a spotter or someone to assist with safety there at all times.”
“I had no idea that Yates was going to be undergoing so much renovation. I was excited that most of the concerns I had had already been called to [Gilroy’s] attention and were in the process of being dealt with,” Morgenstern said.