Wellness Center expansion project under way, on track
If you head west on Centennial Boulevard you can’t miss it.
The Wellness Center expansion project is well underway and on track for completion in July 2007.
The expansion will more than double the current Wellness Center facilities and offer students, staff and faculty new and improved services.
One of the most prominent features of the expanded Wellness Center will be the 34-foot climbing pinnacle, with an additional 24-foot bouldering area.
Designed without hand holds, the pinnacle is made to be climbed like a real rock surface, and is as dramatic as it is challenging.
As many as 15 people can climb at the same time.
The rock wall was designed especially for the Wellness Center and will be the only pinnacle wall in the region.
The first level of the building will include four racquetball courts, one of which can be converted to a squash court, a multipurpose room for additional group exercise classes and more exercise space for cardio and free weight training.
New treadmills, ellipticals and dumbbells were added this summer for the benefit of current users.
The first level will also feature a Pro Shop, larger locker rooms and computer cluster area.
The Pro Shop will sell NDSU and Wellness Center clothing, sports equipment and toiletries.
The second level of the new building will have spinning and martial arts studios.
Basketball courts and a multi-activity court for roller hockey, indoor soccer and other activities will be added to accommodate the intramural programs, which will be moved to the Wellness Center in the fall of 2007.
A second running track, suspended above the basketball courts, will also be added, featuring banked turns and wider lanes.
The facilities, and most of the services of the Wellness Center will remain free to NDSU students, and available to staff and faculty at minimal cost.
The expansion project will take the Wellness Center from a nearly 38,000 square foot facility to one of more than 110,000 square feet and will offer greater wellness opportunities for the entire NDSU community.
Both the history and progress of the expansion project can be viewed on the Wellness Center Web site at www.ndsu.edu/wellness. New photos are posted weekly.