By: Drew Troutman
Upgrades to the Sport, Recreation and Fitness Center (SuRF) are approaching quickly after Student Government Association representatives approved several renovations.
The upcoming renovations, which were approved Oct. 19, will cost $117,000. These renovations include new flooring, carpet and furniture for the lobby and a new basketball and volleyball court.
Clare Dever, the director of the SuRF, said the goal is for the renovations to be completed by Jan. 7.
Dever said: “There are several projects to coordinate that can impact each other and the facility usage itself, so keep your fingers crossed. We hope to stay open as much as possible, but if we feel it would compromise safety, we’ll need to either reduce or cancel our hours of operation.”
Nick Rudisill, the SGA vice president of finance, discussed the impact of the upcoming renovations.
“There are over 2,000 swipes per month to enter the SuRF, which is a decent population of students,” Rudisill said. “From club sports to the average student, and summer camps to admissions visitors, these changes will impact a lot of people.”
Other upgrades, such as new paint, lighting and Bellarmine branding, will be coming soon. Dever said she believes these additional upgrades will add a much-needed sense of school pride.
“Currently the lobby and locker room lack any kind of Bellarmine identity, especially since there’s a blue wall in lobby,” Dever said. “All that will change with the new paint, lighting, branding, furniture and flooring.”
Changes to the SuRF will do more than make the place look nicer. They’ll improve the wellbeing of students who frequent the building.
Dever said: “The Bellarmine community should look forward to visiting the SuRF Center and feel satisfied as they leave. Our goal is to help restore people, whether that’s playing basketball with friends [or] hanging out in the lobby between classes. This renovation will just amplify our welcoming environment.”
Joe Simon, a senior finance major, said less money should have been spent on new furniture for the lobby.
“I believe $17,000 is a very large portion of the budget that is being spent on something that has nothing to do with working out,” Simon said. “I would rather see that money go toward newer, better weight room equipment.”
According to Simon, other students share this opinion.
“I believe most people would agree that the furniture we have now is fine, as I have not heard anyone complain about it in the past, and I have heard people complain about the lack of equipment in the gym,” he said.
Dever said she hopes to see more renovations, including new equipment and improved insulation, in the near future. “There’s always room for improvement,” she said.