Athletic Centre renovation update — delayed gymnasium opening
The following message was sent to the University community from Vice-President, Finance and Administration Robert Inglis on August 4, 2022
I am writing to provide an update on renovations to the Athletic Centre.
As you may recall, the project includes an upgrade to the building’s ventilation system, as well as a new floor, bleachers, and Mounties branding in the gymnasium.
The weight room, pool, and locker rooms will be available this fall.
Renovation of gymnasium will be delayed
The gymnasium upgrades will unfortunately not be completed by mid-September.
Scheduling issues have been identified by Facilities Management and the general contractor for the project. Our facilities team is now working alongside the contractor to develop a revised timeline. Determining a new completion date may take some time and we cannot at this time predict a specific re-opening date.
Gym to remain closed during the fall term
To make operational decisions about scheduling activities that depend on the gym, we must move forward under the assumption that the gym will not be available for varsity athletics, intramurals, and/or recreational use by students and staff, other campus events, or community groups for the fall term.
We understand that this is an unexpected and disappointing development, and we are committed to putting alternate arrangements in place to mitigate the impact until the renovation is completed.
Strategies to support athletics and recreation varsity basketball, volleyball, badminton teams, and intramurals
We have advised coaches and student-athletes of this news, and that we are committed to ensuring those teams that start their season in the fall will be able to undertake their practices and league games as scheduled.
We have begun a search for alternate facilities in Sackville and nearby communities that can be used for student intramural sports and by varsity teams —both for practices and as a potential alternate ‘home’ gym for exhibition and regular season competition. We will work closely with coaching staff and teams as logistics pertaining to varsity teams are finalized.
We will provide an update on a revised timeline for gym completion as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience as we work through this process. Another update to the community will be provided as soon as we have additional information.
