uiargonaut.com ? Rec Center renovations

After 10 years of constant use, the University of Idaho Student Recreation Center has installed new gym floors for the Silver and Gold gymnasiums.?

The SRC closes down for nine days every summer for cleaning, painting and gym floor repair. This year, the gym floors were completely renovated.

Associate Campus Rec Director/Sport Club Director Gordon Gresch said UI usually does the yearly repairs themselves but had to contract this job because it required special machinery and additional time for the complete renovation.

?We had to work with the flooring company because they require a longer period than our nine days,? Gresch said. ?They asked us for about 17 to 21 days.?

The project went two weeks into normal operating days, but Gresch said it was the optimal time to do the project since gym usage is at its lowest point during the late summer. It had a minimal impact on gym users and is now ready for fall semester use.

Not only was the gym in physical need of a new floor,? the text and logos were also outdated. The new logos and font match current university style.

?The original baselines were gold and silver outlines,? Gresch said. ?Both gyms were completely sanded, new base, new font, new logos and new paint. We kept the gold and silver theme by putting the script ?University of Idaho? gold in one gym and silver in the other. We also have gold and silver padding on the backboards.?

Gresch said it typically costs $3,500 for UI to buy the products and do the annual light finish and cleaning themselves. The 2012 complete refinishing, layering and painting cost approximately $25,000, but is expected to last 15 years before needing another renovation.

?It?s a considerable amount more (to do the full sand) but the maintenance in having a full sand like that actually allows for a better seal and better wear on the floor,? Gresch said. ?It?s really a necessity long-term for the floor. The Rec Center courts have much more use than, say, a varsity court that has varsity practices and games. Our court is used almost always.?

The SRC and the Gold and Silver Gymnasiums are an important part of campus life at UI. On average, about 1,700 people visit the Rec Center each day, many of which end up using the gymnasiums. Pick-up basketball, volleyball and badminton games are played constantly throughout the year.

?People that were on campus that saw the new look of the basketball courts were very excited?it?s always fun to have something new and exciting and fresh and ready for use,? Gresch said. ?It turned out better than our expectations. We?re excited to see people play on them.?

Stephan Wiebe?can be reached at?arg-sports@uidaho.edu

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Philip Vukelich | Argonaut

University of Idaho Freshman Sam Hoffman, practices layups in the Student Recreation Center gymnasium. The gym floors were refinished during the summer.

Tags: basketball, gym renovations, UI Student Rec Center

Source: http://www.uiargonaut.com/2012/08/20/rec-center-renovations/

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