Just when we thought that campus construction was finally coming to a halt, it turns out that there will be more to come by the end of spring. Alumni Hall is to be renovated, but before this plan is carried out, the RecPlex must be expanded, according to Mark Reed, dean of students.
The Leslie C. Quick Recreation Complex will now stretch to the current front entrance of Alumni Hall, meaning that the entrance of Alumni Hall will need to be relocated.
The RecPlex expansion will provide additional space for recreation equipment, a larger weight room and fitness center, and exercise and multipurpose rooms. This first phase of the project will also include the reconfiguration of the main road, which will run through the current location of the tennis courts.
The second phase of the project will entail the actual renovation of Alumni Hall. The interior of the building will be gutted, and modern seats and concession areas will be added. While Fairfield’s men’s and women’s basketball teams no longer compete in Alumni Hall, the building remains the site of the women’s Division 1 volleyball team.
Volleyball player Becky Guess ’04 is thrilled, although she might miss the old Alumni Hall.
“I love Alumni Hall,” said Guess. “I love that it’s older and that it echoes so well. It has character. But, the renovation sounds awesome. The new seats will draw more people to the games.”
James Cahill ’03, believes that the new modern facility will not help to boost attendance rates. “Not that many people here are interested,” he remarked. He does believe, however, that the expansion of the RecPlex will bring more students to the recreation facility. “We have a space problem, especially with the weight room.”
The construction process will have little negative impact on students, as the initial work will be done in the front of the building, not in the back where the parking lot is located, said Reed. Any parking space consumed by construction throughout the past several years has been added to a different lot.
“We’ve actually ended up with a net increase of parking spaces,” said Reed. “They may be in different places, but they’re still there.”
The students have nothing to lose with this new construction project, as parking spaces will be retained, early work will be done during the summer months, and both Alumni Hall and the Recreation Complex will be more modern and better equipped.
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