Fairfield University will break ground on its Athletic Center addition on March 21 at 2 p.m., more than tripling the size of the building. The addition, which will contain 51,945 square feet, will be located adjacent to the campus' football stadium.
Fairfield has received $3.4 million in gifts toward the $4.7 million structure with the remainder expected through other gifts.
The project adds a second floor to the Athletic Center which opened in 1995. A key component of the new area will be a high-tech academic study center with computer terminals, tutorial stations and reference materials for students competing in varsity sports. In addition, the structure will contain a practice facility designed primarily for men's and women's basketball, first-class men's and women's locker rooms, an administrative and coaching office complex to centralize its Athletic Department, as well as a multi-media recruiting center. The first floor will contain a state-of-the-art football locker room, a 4,700 square-foot weight training center and coaches' locker rooms.
Fairfield competes in 20 varsity sports, having added football, men's lacrosse and three women's sports -- soccer, lacrosse and golf in the past five years. A 21st varsity sport, women's crew, will begin in the fall.
"The Athletic Center will create a magnificent setting for a solid infrastructure to support all of our Division I programs," said Gene Doris, director of athletics. "The technology used in the construction will be a model for other institutions. The facility will enhance the ability of Fairfield's student-athletes to succeed in both the classroom and in athletic competition."
Some 4,000 square feet of space is expected to open in Alumni Hall and the Recreational Complex when offices from those two facilities move into the new 51,945 square foot building. The extra space will allow for the expansion and upgrade of exercise rooms that serve the overall student population concerned with personal fitness.
Posted On: 03-01-1997 09:03 AM
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