• Two-level, 23,000 square-foot facility will significantly enhance health and wellness amenities for campus community
• Glass atrium will provide new common entrance to three existing campus structures
• Extensive renovations to Alumni Hall student-athlete facilities are included in project
• Building of new facility is one of the most challenging projects in the College's history
• Architect is SMMA/Hoskins Scott; contractor is Consigli Construction Company, Inc.

Providence, RI -- Providence College broke ground on a 23,000-square-foot, two-level fitness center addition to the Peterson Recreation Center and Alumni Hall on Friday, June 2, 2006.  College officials -- including College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Michael Ruane--joined student leaders, members of the PC community, and alumni/ alumnae gathered for Reunion Weekend in ceremonial activities that will bless and mark the beginning of the construction project.

Discussions about a new fitness center at Providence College have been ongoing for the past several years. Citing a new study by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, Father Shanley notes, "Exercise and student recreation facilities were among the top ten facilities that students in a national survey deemed 'extremely' or 'very important' when selecting a college." Adds Father Shanley, "As someone who regularly uses the facilities in our Peterson Recreation Center, I know how much we need to improve them. Our intention is to create a true state-of-the-art facility that will enhance the health and wellness of the entire campus community and improve the fitness and training resources available to our student-athletes."

The fitness center -- which will feature a three-story glass atrium and a new, unified main entrance to the Slavin Center (student union building), Alumni Hall (athletic offices and Mullaney Gymnasium), the Peterson Recreation Center (field house), and the center itself - is being called one of the most challenging projects in the College's history. The architect is SMMA/Hoskins Scott, the firm which designed the College's Master Space Plan and the Suites Hall residence facility. The general contractor is Consigli Construction Company, Inc., which previously completed extensive renovations to the resident student dining hall on campus.

Intended for use by the general student body, student-athletes, faculty, and staff, the new fitness center will provide approximately 11,500 square feet of space on the first level for cardiovascular and aerobic exercise equipment. One area of the first level will be reserved for varsity student-athletes. The remainder of the first floor and the entire second floor will be for general campus use.

The second level will contain approximately 4,600 square feet of space for cardiovascular and aerobic exercise equipment and for a glass meeting room. Another approximately 2,700 square feet of space will be utilized for free weights exercise and an observation room that will overlook the new athletic turf field.

The three-story atrium will be approximately 4,000 square feet. Its primary purpose is to promote fluid passage to and from the four buildings from a single entrance. The focus of the new design of both the atrium and the fitness center will be an abundant use of glass.

The project also will include significant improvements and renovations in Alumni Hall to include an expanded and modernized sports medicine facility, a newly relocated ticket office, a new locker room for visiting teams, and new athletic laundry facilities.

Construction for the fitness center is expected to last approximately 65 weeks, with the opening planned for the beginning of the fall 2007 semester. Projected costs for the entire project are approximately $13 million. No tuition dollars will be used to fund the project.  Financing for the project has been approved and is being provided through bonded indebtedness with the Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation and through contributions from alumni/alumnae and friends of the College. The quiet phase of a major fundraising campaign for the fitness center is currently underway.

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