Written by Alex Patt
It’s finally time for the next big Concordia amenity to open, and not a moment too soon. The brand new fitness center is scheduled to open the last week of February, on Wednesday the 26th at 6am, after months of ongoing construction which built up anticipation for the center. This new facility will be available to all students and staff when it opens.
The 7000 square-foot fitness center is taking up the space where the old Concordia pool once was. The pool was filled in to make the space for the new gym. The fitness center will feature all new equipment including bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, weights, rowing machines and more. The equipment is all Life Fitness brand and will be all ready to go when it opens up on the 26th. A chapel service will be held in the facility to dedicate it, at 11am on Wednesday with a special performance from the Concordia Scola group during the dedication ceremony.
The facility itself will be run by a team of Concordia officials including: Dean Hynes, Professor Caryn Putra, Athletic Director Pete Gnan, Melissa Schwab, Mike Stawski and Joyce Angell the facility manager. This project cost 1.5 million dollars to construct, and 250,000 dollars in new equipment. The money for the facility construction was provided by a State of Illinois capital grant, and 17,000 dollars were raised when the Concordia Marathon Team ran the Chicago marathon. That 17k went towards the new equipment. Without the fundraising, and generous donations/grants, the new fitness center would not be possible.
As for the PAW, the facility itself will be converted into a human performance laboratory. Much of the old equipment will be donated to nearby Lutheran schools, and some will be up for sale to used fitness equipment dealers. None of the old equipment will be inside the new fitness center.
