The Fitness and Recreation Center has spent more than a quarter-million dollars on new equipment for nearly all of the gym’s exercise rooms, replacing the three-year-old machines that were being worn down by use.
The equipment from the $290,000 overhaul includes two cardio machines with built-in televisions, 33 treadmills, 40 elliptical cross trainers, 37 bikes and four rowing machines.
“We made this investment because we get such high usage,” said Fitness Director Rossella Avitabile-Muller. “We set high standards for this place, and we want the best equipment and customer service.”
The new machinery, installed in August, is part of FitRec’s maintenance program, paid for by a university-funded expenditure account, said FitRec Executive Director Warin Dexter.
Because of wear and tear from repetitive use, the cardiovascular equipment breaks down after three years, Avitabile-Muller said. When the oil coating on the ramps and gears of the cross trainers wear off, they are no longer smooth and the circuits inside the machines break down, she said.
“We open at 5 a.m. and close at 11 p.m., so we don’t get much of a break compared to clubs,” Dexter said. “We need to have newer equipment and good service based on the usage here.”
At least 1,500 use the weight room each day, Avitabile-Muller said.
“The quality is unmatched,” Dexter said. “No other equipment can take the beating of 5,000 uses a day.”
Because of their popularity, more ellipticals and treadmills were added to reduce wait time, Avitabile-Muller said.
“I come to FitRec five times a week,” said College of Arts and Sciences freshman Sara Davidoff. “I like it here because you don’t have to wait to use the machines.”
The goal of the maintenance program is to keep FitRec as pristine and reputable as it was the day it opened three years ago, Dexter said. The noise in the building has also been greatly reduced by the new equipment, and the workout quality is more comfortable and user-friendly, he said.
“The quality at FitRec has always been great — I’d give it an A-plus for equipment,” said CAS sophomore Kyle Thibodeau, who said he visits the gym up to five times a week.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
