In the spring of 2016, Blackburn College introduced plans to construct a new fitness center in Dawes gymnasium. It was scheduled to be completed by that August, but that changed with the late hiring of a contractor.
Director of Athletics and Recreation John Malin said that the contractor was hired in September of 2016 and that is also when the two phase process began.
“The new fitness center will cost approximately $1.2 million dollars to complete,” said Malin. He also said that most of the money is coming from various donors, many of which who would like to stay anonymous, so their privacy is respected.
With the new renovations, Malin believes that “the fitness center will be an outstanding facility with excellent fitness equipment that will be appealing to most prospective students that visit our campus.” Malin also predicts that this new facility will help Blackburn remain competitive in the recruitment of new athletes.
The first phase was officially completed on Dec. 30. This included public restrooms, renovating the former athletic directors office and removing all of the offices that used to be in the main entrance of Dawes. The women’s basketball coach’s office, the women’s softball coach’s office and the tennis coach’s office were among those that were removed. These offices will now be part of the new fitness center.
Athletic trainer Malia Murphy was displaced during the renovation. She was able to move back into the trainer’s room over winter break and could not be happier. Due to her office being a part of the hallway between Dawes and Woodward, she was displaced. “I couldn’t have enjoyed being in the infirmary any less. It was so far away from all of the practices and games. It was rough especially when it was really cold,” said Murphy.
Phase two of the project will be completed later this month, but it will not be open for use until after spring break. This phase involves changing the former pool area into the new fitness center and also renovating the adjacent locker rooms. “Once renovation is completed, there will be a great deal of fitness and cardio equipment that needs to be installed. Once the equipment is installed the coaching staff and student staff in athletics will need to be thoroughly trained to properly use the equipment. Much of the training will occur during spring break and the facility should be ready for student, faculty and staff use after break,” said Malin.