Surveying is underway as construction plans for the new Auburn University Recreation and Wellness Center are complete.
"We are way behind the times with this building," said Scott Harper, assistant director of recreational services. "It's old, there's not enough space, and it's not designed like current rec centers."
Harper said his construction team is on target with the building plans, and they are excited to build a new facility for students.
"We're going to have all new equipment; everything is going to be brand new and state-of-the-art," Harper said. "We're not taking any of the old stuff and putting it in the new building."
Features of the center include a large cardio and weight room, a one-third mile indoor inclined track, an outdoor pool, a three-story rock climbing wall, eight basketball courts, an indoor soccer field and a game room.
"The cool thing about the running track is that it's suspended, and it's hanging from the ceiling, and it actually crisscrosses, and if you run around it almost gives you a self-tour of the building," said Kurt Sasser, SGA president.
The Wellness Center will also feature multiple men's and women's locker rooms with showers and will offer a wide variety of fitness classes and personal training options.
Harper said the building was conceived as part of Auburn's initiative to encourage a healthier, more active lifestyle.
Jennifer Jarvis, director of recreational services, said the designers toured other wellness centers across the country for ideas, but ultimately the new center will be completely unique to Auburn.
The 240,000 square-foot complex, which is two and a half times the size of the current recreation center, will be located along Heisman Drive between the coliseum and the arena.
"It's going to be right across the street from the new Village, so it's going to be almost like a backyard for our residents on campus," Jarvis said.
Initiative for the building began during SGA President Lauren Hayes' administration.
In February 2009, 73 percent of students voted to increase their student activities fees to fund the building, Sasser said.
"What we really did was look for student input for the building and really try to make it a student-friendly building because the students are paying for it, so we got lots of feedback and lots of surveys," Sasser said.
Since Hayes' administration, SGA has met with designers every Tuesday to plan the building from the ground up.
"One thing that we wanted was for the building to be sustainable," Sasser said. "That was a big thing coming from the president's office and SGA because we wanted to be environmentally friendly.
"The building is going to be a lot of brick, but it's also going to be a lot of glass."
SGA is currently focusing on final details including carpet, furniture, food options and bathroom tile, Sasser said.
"Our students have been behind this 100 percent, and I can tell you this would not have happened without the support of our students," Jarvis said.
Jarvis said other key players in the project were the members of SGA and Ainsley Carry, vice president of Student Affairs.
Groundbreaking for the building is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. April 15, the Friday before A-Day.
The building is scheduled to be completed in two years.
The future of the current, 26-year-old center is still undecided.
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