Florida Gulf Coast University officially broke ground Sept. 27 on its Recreation & Wellness Center.
The two-story building will feature a double gymnasium, group fitness room, multipurpose room, strength and fitness room and cardio deck as well as an observation concourse, administrative suite, exterior event plaza and exterior fitness area. The 47,737-gross-square-feet facility is slated to open in spring 2020 and will cost about $15 million to construct.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony at the campus’ South Village site, FGCU Board of Trustees Vice Chair Robbie Roepstorff said there are five critical ways the new center will benefit students.
“Exercise improves memory,” she said. “Exercise improves and increases focus. It improves mood. It also releases stress … and exercise promotes brain development.”
The Recreation & Wellness Center will help the Campus Recreation department reinforce the impacts that a healthy student life has on student success.
The additional physical space gives the department the ability to grow its programs and activities.
“This [new center] is where students come to build relationships with their fellow students,” said Amy Swingle, director of FGCU Campus Recreation. “They get a sense of learning, a sense of well-being and others. They also get to build relationships and a connection to the university that’s usually very personal and positive.”
In addition to Swingle and Roepstorff, FGCU President Michael Martin and his predecessor, President Emeritus Wilson G. Bradshaw, along with Student Government Association President Jalisa White celebrated the new building.
