Changes in the A-building appear to be coming whether students want to see the pool replaced or not.

Last week, athletes and student leaders were invited to give feedback on changes to the A-building. Many want the pool to stay but also have voiced other needs.

Architects from the Chicago firm Holabird and Root came to campus to ask students what changes they would like to see. Most students had difficulty giving up on the idea of a campus pool. Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Paul McGuinness stopped the meeting several times to remind students that the purpose of the meeting was not to discuss the pool’s fate but to tell the architects what changes they might like to see instead.

Several athletes complained about cramped quarters in the weight rooms, insufficient space for training and recovery, and a tight gym schedule during the fall and early spring. Student leaders were concerned that as the university keeps adding sports teams without adequate facilities, a retrofitted space in the A-building will not benefit the broader student body.

At the Feb. 24 Board of Trustees meeting, Student Senator Lanetta Thomas urged the board to focus on building a field house for athletes instead of taking away the pool.

“Now is the time to do it,” Thomas said. “We are recruiting student-athletes. Let’s make space for them.”

According to the administrators, budgets are the primary factor preventing the university from completing everything on the facility master plan. A fieldhouse was not on the list presented to the board at the February meeting. Getting the pool up and running is likely to cost around $500,000. The feasibility study that is currently underway will give the administration and board an idea of what it would cost to change the space into a multipurpose facility.

The pool became a hot topic last semester. It has been closed for several years due to plumbing issues and a problem with a state-hired contractor. According to John Potempa, GovState’s associate vice president of facilities development, work on the pool locker rooms will resume soon. However, administrators say the cost of getting the pool up and running is prohibitive, and it will not likely reopen after the locker room showers are functioning again.