It's like Christmas in the dead of summer at UF - for weightlifters, anyway.
During the class reprieve between Summer A and Summer B, Southwest Recreation Center had a somewhat sudden shift in face.
Brand new equipment now decorates the lifting floor, including the addition of two Olympic lifting platforms and bumper plates, Iron Grip dumbbells, Cable cross cables and Iron Grip urethane plates, according to the UF Department of Recreational Sports website.
The room itself also underwent enhancements. These enhancements include Infinity Flooring, Big Ass Fans, environmental graphics, new water fountains with water bottle fillers and new lights.
Jessica Gates, marketing coordinator for UF RecSports, said many of the renovations resulted from student requests. Others were evidently necessary.
The lighting before was horrible, Gates said. The old water fountains were leaking and the air was often stuffy when the room got crowded.
Gates said that the new fans will increase circulation throughout the room to keep it fresh. The new flooring is designed to endure heavy weight and prevent equipment damage.
Ryan Henry, a junior accounting major at UF, goes to Southwest Rec nearly every day and is thoroughly impressed with all the renovations.
"Oh s***," Henry said when he first saw the new fans. "The fans are crazy."
He hasn't found any negatives yet and is doubtful that he will find any.
The potential problem is that loyal attendees will have to adjust to the new layout. But that's no problem to Henry.
"You have to get used to it," he said.
Gates said the renovations cost about $700,000, and the money used for the makeover was leftover Capital Improvement Trust Funds from the expansion to Southwest Rec that was introduced in the fall semester. After realizing they had extra funds at the end of fall, RecSports planned to renovate in the spring, but scheduling conflicts led them to renovate during the summer.
Gates said they wanted to make everything appear fluid and work together, which is the reason for many of the new environmental graphics scattered throughout the facility.
RecSports will have a master planning meeting in July where they will discuss further renovation possibilities.
"We're looking for opportunities," Gates said.
More renovations, however, will require donor money. RecSports will get feedback from students to determine where else the facility could improve.
