Archive for May, 2011

Scaffolding along the south face of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center, as seen from the facility's roof. Crews are expected to be finished with brick work and other major pieces of the building's exterior by the end of the month.

Construction on the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center has moved into what seems to be a full-on sprint, as crews race to complete sealing in the facility by the end of May, with major interior work set to begin June 1:

Medical and Counseling Care Center

Air conditioning, doors, lights and the intercom system are installed, with acoustic ceiling tiles in place this week. Flooring will be installed beginning June 1, and the items remaining to be installed can be counted one hand: Handrails, corner guards and cabinets (which include receptionist desks and the like).

North gym

Across from the racquetball courts, this gym was used for storage through most of the project, but it now has new lights, temperature control and newly built sections of wall along the ceiling. Crews will begin painting the ceiling and walls in the coming weeks, with the basketball court scheduled to be installed beginning June 1.

The pools

Crews this week are running pressure tests to ensure the plumbing is in good order before tile is laid over the concrete base of the leisure pool. Painting, meanwhile, is set to begin on the ceiling and walls surrounding the lap pool, after which tile work will begin in that pool, as well.

The lobby

Work in the lobby is mostly finished for now, with flooring and final touches among the last items to be completed in the facility. The cabinet work — receptionist desks and other semipermanent fixtures — will begin in two to three weeks.

Faculty and athletics offices

With most classes over for the summer and most students off campus, coaches and staff have moved out of their offices, and minor renovations (new paint, carpets and ceiling tiles) have begun. Faculty from the Department of Exercise Science and Health have begun moving out, as well, and work will begin on those offices next week.

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The view from the bank of windows along the south wall of what will soon be a pair of 5,000-square-foot group-exercise rooms.

Sporting such colorful names as Zumba, Circumference and Capoeira, the exercise-class offerings in the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center have been unveiled.

“I think it’s going to be great,” said Dr. Kerri Hart, the facility’s director of exercise programing. “When I visit with students in my classes or I explain to people the programming in the facility, they get very excited when they hear Boot Camp, yoga, indoor cycling.”

The classes — 12 in all — include a mix of name-brand and generic-alternative programming, as well as a few currently offered for credit at Abilene Christian University. These classes, however, will be strictly extracurricular.

Several classes were developed by the university’s Department of Exercise Science and Health to replicate brand-name offerings that are too expensive for ACU to offer. These include Circumference, an indoor-cycling class similar to the popular Spin class offered at many health centers.

“You might have experienced other indoor cycling classes,” a written description of the class states, “but you have not truly experienced indoor cycling until you have experienced Circumference. Come full circle as you improve your cardiovascular endurance and tone your entire body. … [M]ake sure to bring a towel and water. You WILL need both!”

Likewise, Push — “a dual workout for both upper and lower body” for those seeking to “define your muscles while gaining strength” — is similar to the name-brand Body Pump class, Hart said.

Then there’s the hard-to-pronounce Capoeira (Cap-WHED-a), a Brazilian style of martial arts that “provides a fabulous blend of athleticism, martial arts and artistry.”

The classes will be offered in three groupings — early in the morning (6:15 and 7 a.m.), noon and early evening (4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.). In all, there will be 26 total class sessions per week, including two on Saturdays.

“This grouping of classes was based on the many visits we made and what other universities provide,” she said. “The times are based on what they said were the busiest times for their classes.”

Classes will be available as soon as the building opens, Hart said, and they initially will be free to allow students to sample them.

However, students seeking to participate in a class ultimately will have to pay for it by purchasing a punch card that will be good for any 10 class sessions in the facility. The price for the cards has yet to be determined, but is likely to be less than $50, Hart said. Paying for the classes helps ACU hire the certified instructors who will be teaching them — and keeps the university from charging every student for classes only a few will take.

“They’re still getting a very good deal on a holistic facility,” Hart said. “To me, it’s not fair to charge people who are not interested in group exercise to pay for the teachers who are certified to teach those classes.”

The full list of classes and their descriptions follow the jump.

“I’m excited to see the response of our community,” she said. “I think it’ll be good.”

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Brian Devost, executive director of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center at Abilene Christian University

Brian Devost was recently hired as the first executive director of Abilene Christian University’s Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center. He called in from his Virginia Beach home this morning to talk about his vision for his new job and the campus’ new facility.

Have you ever been to ACU before?

I have been to campus twice during the interview and hiring process. I had the chance to look around. The people there are wonderful — very forthcoming and willing to help. I can’t tell you the number of faculty and staff who have emailed me.

How do you see the executive director position, especially as it relates to the rest of the university and the students?

I see my role as being the coordinator of all the different entities relevant to fitness and wellness, getting everybody together to promote an interest in general fitness and wellness and coordinating all the services we can offer to the rest of campus. I’m working with two very good people, Joel (Swedlund) and Kerri Hart. They’re going to be able to manage most of the programming. I see myself more globally.

What’s the first thing on your to-do list when you take over in June?

It’s getting a lay of the land. Trying to get a better understanding of what people really want. I really need to spend a lot of time talking with people about their hopes and ideas for the center.

What does a successful first year for the Money Center look like?

It’s creating an environment where students, faculty and staff can connect, where we are better educated about the components of wellness. I see success as one individual at a time, creating an environment where they can succeed.

What attracted you to this position?

There are some very passionate people who work at the university. Dr. Nicki Rippee in particular and her vision for wellness on campus was very refreshing to me. Reading the blogs and researching online was very appealing. Just bringing people on board who are looking at it in a positive way. I think everybody’s looking forward to the facility once it’s built. The potential for wellness to be a major focus on campus came through loud and clear.

How does your faith inform your work?

I lean a lot on I Corinthians 6:19 — “Don’t you now that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” Your body houses the Spirit, so we need to be responsible so we can be healthy enough to do His work. I need to make sure I’m a good steward. It’s bigger than any one thing; it’s global. It’s about service to God and being the image of God, like it says in Genesis 1:27.

The Optimist reported this week that Abilene Christian University could obtain a certificate of occupancy for the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center by Aug. 15:

Zane Dennis, executive director of facilities and campus development, said he is excited for the opening of this one-of-a-kind building.

“It’s going to be phenomenal,” Dennis said. “It will be the new glue for the campus and have that adhesion factor that everyone will congregate to.”

Dennis said he expects the city to grant the building a certificate of occupancy, which verifies the safety and usability of the structure, by Aug. 15.

Crews will have two weeks to move in furniture and install exercise equipment to prepare for the timely opening, Dennis said.

“Our society today looks so much at promoting health, and I think that’s what this facility helps us do,” Dennis said.

That two-week time period is especially key for the Medical and Counseling Care Center, which hopes to be fully operational in its new location before classes begin Aug. 29.

A certificate of occupancy is granted by the City of Abilene after its inspectors determine the facility meets the city’s relevant zoning, construction and public-safety ordinances. The university cannot take possession of the center until it has the certificate in hand.

Construction on the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center is accelerating in an effort to get the building open in time for Abilene Christian University classes to start Aug. 29 — and in an effort to get the building closed in before another major thunderstorm sends water into the facility.

As a result, this edition of the construction update doesn’t include many specific updates. Crews instead are working on installing brick, putting in windows and sealing gaps, after which work will turn primarily inward. Although all exterior work won’t be finished by the end of May, the building should be sealed by then, allowing also for more comfortable working conditions for the crews as the West Texas summer begins in earnest.

Photos below of the latest work.

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Abilene Christian University has hired Brian Devost to be the first executive director of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center, the Office of Student Life announced today.

Devost (pronounced Devoe) for more than a year has been a strategic planner for various parks and recreation agencies and has experience as an executive director of the Richland County Recreation Commission in South Carolina, executive director of the YMCA, director of wellness programs at two large hospitals and founding director of the intramurals, recreation and fitness program at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in recreation leadership and leisure studies from Concordia University in Quebec, Canada, and earned a Master’s degree in recreation management from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Devost and his wife, Kim, will move to Abilene shortly, as he is scheduled to take the position officially on June 1.

As executive director, Devost will oversee the budget, policies and employees of the new wellness center, a 116,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of the Gibson Health and Physical Education Center. We’ll have more on Devost and his hiring in the coming days.