The opening of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center this fall will also bring an added fee of $116 each semester.
Students voted in February 2007 in favor of building the Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC).
The fee referendum included an agreement to give Associated Students Inc. the ability to raise the fee for inflation purposes. Originally, the fee was $110 and the construction of the SRWC was under budget due to construction costs, but because of a rise in electricity, gas and insurance costs, the fee was raised to $116.
The decision to raise the fee was made in November, and the fee will remain $116 for the next three years. Every three years, the possibility of raising the fee will be taken into consideration, with a cap of 3 to 4 percent, according to ASI President Chris Chavez.
“The cost of construction solely was $47.1 million,” Chavez said.
The fee is part of a debt reduction because the school took a bond in order to initially finance the construction of the SRWC. Susan Brown, director of Physical Planning and Construction Management, said the project cost a total of $61 million. According to a document from a 2006 Student Fee Advisory meeting, it would take 30 years to pay off the debt.
However, the fee will be implemented “as long as the SRWC is open and operating, just like the University Student Union, which has been operating since the 1970s,” Chavez said via e-mail.
Students will be allowed to use the facility year-round, even if they are not enrolled during summer or winter sessions. For students enrolled during summer session, the fee for the center will be $83.
“Students will be able to pay for membership over the summer if they are not enrolled in summer school,” Chavez said.
The fee, which is being implemented for usage, construction and operations of the SRWC, will be added to the USU fee.
“The expansion of the USU fee, which includes the SRWC, covers the cost associated with the finance and construction of the facility, as well as the annual operating expenses (utilities, programs, equipment, services and staff) and debt service,” Chavez said.
Faculty, staff, alumni and others associated with the university may also use the center, but for a membership fee, according to the ASI Recreation Web site. Those who don’t want to pay the monthly rate can opt to pay $10 for a daily pass.
The Web site also states that there are six months left before the opening of the center and “all exterior glass has been installed. Tiling in the men’s and women’s locker rooms has begun. All mechanical basket ball hoops and backboards are installed, and our food vendor, Fresh Foods, has now taken over their space and begun construction of their own.”
The SRWC will include a gym, jogging track, weight and cardio equipment, racquetball courts, group exercise rooms, a rock-climbing wall, swimming pool and spa, according to the site.
The site also said that more than 100 jobs will be available to students, including the following positions: front desk representatives, membership services representatives and personal trainers.
No ID will be required to use the SRWC. Upon entrance to the center, students will type in their student ID number and place their palm against a “biometric hand geometry reader,” which will verify their identity, according to the Web site. In order to obtain membership once the SRWC is open, students will need to visit USU Room 201 with their student ID.
There will be numerous services provided such as intramural sports — which will require a separate fee — dance, martial arts and education about proper nutrition, among other health-related services.
Parking Structures 2 and 3 were built to cover the spaces lost from building the SRWC on what was Lot 11, according to Brown.
In a 2007 Student Fee Advisory Committee meeting, the price of semester parking permits was raised to $123 to help pay the bond for the project and scheduled to remain at $123 for 25 years.