[DISCLAIMER: Until I can get some work writing about music or until I find some gigs to attend, I'm afraid some of the content of this site will be non-music related. On the upside, this does show diversity.- The management]
The long-awaited addition to the Forbes Complex, which includes a six-lane swimming pool, will be open March 2008, said Humboldt State Senior Communications Officer, Paul Mann.
Previous plans to demolish the currently standing Forbes Complex have been broken upon gaining permission from the California State University Chancellor Charles Reed to preserve the building and allow it to house offices and classrooms for the ever-expanding campus, Mann said.
Jan Henry, a member of Humboldt State's physical education staff and member of the building committee is pleased with the news that both gymnasiums will be available to her program.
While some areas are expanding, others are shrinking. The locker rooms, which are being moved to the new building, will house fewer lockers than before.
"This shouldn't be a problem," Henry said. She is looking forward to having brand new lockers for students to use.
The new building is called the Physical Education and Athletics Facility and features an additional gymnasium, natatorium (indoor pool) and an expansive picture window that looks down onto Union Street. The building will also house a dance studio, classrooms, locker rooms and staff and faculty offices and costs Humboldt State $42.8 million.
While there is an air of excitement among students toward the new facility and all it has to offer, there are concerns about whether or not the facility will address all of the needs of the students.
Humboldt State student Bri Georgi believes that it would be a waste for the school to spend such great amounts of money and in the end, find that the students have not gained anything by it, and fears that the new gymnasium may lose some of the charms of the former gymnasium.
"I'm excited about the pool," Georgi said.
Chris Weingarten, Humboldt State alumnus and physical education intern, is both thrilled and concerned about the new facility. The former football player worries that the new basketball court will be too spread out and the gym will lose the intimacy that is crucial in creating an air of excitement during games. The echoing effect of the roar of the crowd in the smaller gym is what keeps the team in high spirits, and it would be a shame to lose that, he said.
Weingarten hopes the climate-control system is remodeled to make for more comfortable workout sessions. The current air input system leaves the building hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and does not make for comfortable work out sessions, he said.
While students are excited to see how the new facility will cater to the growing sports and athletics groups on campus, there is also a feeling of relief that the old facility will not be destroyed and can remain a reliable source of recreation and enjoyment as the campus grows and expands.
Published in The Lumberjack: 9-12-07
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