Archive for ‘Update’

Abilene Christian University is officially authorized to occupy the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center – more than a week later than expected, but with enough time to keep Saturday’s dedication ceremony and the Sept. 2 grand opening on track.

Only one piece of major work is left to do: laying tile in the leisure pool, saved for the end because the surface must immediately be covered with water to avoid drying and cracking. Below the jump are photos that indicate just how close the facility is to completion. More »

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:

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Things are chaotic inside the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center as crews scramble to finish the facility before the Aug. 27 donor ceremony and Sept. 2 grand opening.

Nevertheless, progress is occurring, as evidenced by the delivery and installation of TechnoGym cardio and weight equipment, the filling of the Aquatic Center’s two pools (for testing only) and the installation of flooring and ceiling tiles all over the facility. Here is a quick photographic tour of the building as it stands this week: More »

Crews have nearly completed the outdoor basketball court, which, despite being adjacent to the parking lot, will be accessible only from the east side of the facility itself.

These photos actually were taken last week. There are a lot of them, so we’ll get right into it. Needless to say, progress has picked up quite a bit, as whole sections of the building are now essentially done, awaiting only minor additions and cleanup. Click on “More” to see the rest of the pictures.

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Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson, vice president and dean of student life, released the following schedule leading up to the Sept. 2 grand opening of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center:

• Aug. 9 – TechnoGym equipment installed
• Aug. 15 – Receive certificate of occupancy
• Aug. 15-17 – Furniture arrives
• Aug. 22 – Office and operational staff move in
• Aug. 27 – Opening event for Board of Trustees and major donors (invitation only)
• Sept. 2 – Campus-wide grand opening and celebration

As you can see, Abilene Christian University is scheduled to have official ownership of the building in just 26 days.

The changes are becoming increasingly noticeable as the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center speeds toward completion, now less than a month away.

As plans take shape for a Sept. 2 grand opening, crews race to complete the 116,000-square-foot renovation and expansion of Abilene Christian University’s Gibson Health and Wellness Center. The Medical and Counseling Care Center is essentially complete, exterior brick is nearly finished, and the courts and floors of the basketball courts and lobby are in place.

Meanwhile, work has begun in earnest on the outdoor basketball court east of the facility and resurfacing the adjacent parking lot (a familiar site in recent years for the notoriously troublesome patch of asphalt). Photos and details after the jump. More »

A blogger with an iPhone can only do so much, which is why, every so often, we ask a professional photographer to capture the state of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center as it speeds toward completion at the end of August. Here are some pictures taken by Abilene photographer Steve Buttman:

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Crews this week began installing the maple basketball court inside the newly renovated single gym on the facility's northeast corner.

It’s not the outside but the inside that counts.

That’s true at least for the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center, where progress on the interior has made great strides in recent weeks, while crews slowly but surely come closer to completing brick installation on the facility’s exterior walls.

Photos and details after the jump.

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Framing hung in the SRWC lobby gives a glimpse of the curves and circles students will see when they first enter the facility.

The projected date for sealing in the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center has come and gone with brick and windows still needing to be installed, but crews believe they remain on pace to hand over the keys to Abilene Christian University around Aug. 15, two weeks before the start of classes.

In several places, including the Medical and Counseling Care Center, work is all but complete, with flooring the only step left. Others, such as the aquatic center, are awaiting crews to return from a brief foray spent renovating the athletics and Exercise Science and Health offices. Here’s what’s happening and what’s about to happen:

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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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