Walking through the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center was chaotic last week; this week, the atmosphere was much calmer.
With crews set to work through the weekend to finish the facility in time, most major jobs were complete or nearing completion, leaving touch-up and cleaning work before the Aug. 27 dedication ceremony.
A few photos from today’s tour:
Crews were expected to finish the fencing around the outdoor basketball court today, with painting the court itself expected to begin Monday.
All gyms (including Scruggs Gym, above) have been striped and covered with two coats of sealant, which gives the floors that super-shiny look. Crews were installing edging to the bottom of the walls today, after which they’re expected to install lockers, perhaps as soon as this weekend, thus completing all work in these areas.
Upstairs, work is essentially complete on the floors of the large exercise classrooms, where the parquet floors have been sanded and sealed. Mirror installation is all that remains in those rooms.
Crews have begun installing the reception desk and turnstiles in the lobby, the last items remaining in that area. The terrazzo floor has been sanded down to reveal (and smooth over) the glass shards embedded in the white epoxy surface. Crews are about to install a rubber floor around the bouldering wall and mirrors in the weights and cardio area to the right. Both tasks are expected to be finished by early next week, leaving only touch ups and cleaning.
Crews today were cleaning the jogging track, removing the layers of dust that had settled on it in the past several weeks. Carpet is now installed throughout the second floor, as are the vast majority of the ceiling tiles, lending the area a much more finished appearance than it’s had in the past.
Work has continued outside the building. The parking lot to the east has been resurfaced, and crews have extensively remade the system of sidewalks and landscaping south of the facility, between it and the McGlothlin Campus Center.
New brick pavers have replaced the large gray slabs of cement between Moody Coliseum and the Campus Center.
New trees — live oak, cypress and elm — stand ready for placement in the green spaces between the Money Center and Campus Center.
With the rec center expected to increase greatly the foot traffic around the north side of the Campus Center and Beauchamp Amphitheater, crews are reshaping the slope on the amphitheater’s back side, installing retaining walls to make it shallower and easier to maintain. That will allow the installation of landscaping along the amphitheater’s back wall for the first time.