Students to receive $30 rebate of summer quarter rec fee
COLUMBUS – Construction delays associated with the completion of the main portion of the Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC) will result in a $30 rebate to students who paid summer quarter recreation fees at The Ohio State University. Students who paid the $42 fee will receive a $30 credit on their fee statement, restoring the fee to $12.
In addition, faculty and staff who paid for summer quarter membership will receive a one-quarter extension of their membership to Dec. 31.
“It's the right thing to do,” said Bill Schwartz, associate vice president for student affairs. “We have made significant progress over the summer, but work will continue through August. We hope that the contractors will be able to finish construction within the next two weeks so that we can complete the preparations needed to open the facility for use in September.”
The Recreation and Physical Activities Center (RPAC) project is being conducted in four steps. The first part, the Adventure Recreation Center, opened in January (The outdoor adventure component opened in September 2004).
The second, the Rec Main building, includes 25,000 square feet of fitness space, eight basketball courts, 10 racquetball courts, four multipurpose rooms, an indoor jogging track, meeting rooms, a cafè and suite of offices for the Student Wellness Center, as well as other amenities. At this point, all major inspections of Rec Main have been completed and staffs are currently transitioning into the facility, Schwartz said. Students will have access to some parts of the facility beginning Sept. 1. The official opening is slated for Sept. 19, the first week of autumn quarter.
The third stage, a five-pool aquatics center, will open later this fall.
The fourth portion, to be built on the site of Larkins Hall (currently undergoing demolition), will house the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services (PAES); general university classrooms; exercise laboratories; four basketball courts; four squash courts; a multi-purpose room; and indoor golf hitting stations, putting greens, and chipping area. It is slated to open in 2007.
The RPAC project also includes an all-weather turf field, which opened in April 2003 and is shared by Recreational Sports, PAES and the OSU Marching Band, and nine outdoor tennis courts that will open this fall. In 2007, an additional six outdoor tennis courts and three new grass playing fields will open.
Phase-in of the student fee will be complete in Summer 2006, when the rate will be $76 per quarter. Only minor adjustments to compensate for inflation in operating costs are projected beyond that point. The $140 million RPAC project is funded 60 percent by student fees, 11 percent by other user fees, and the remainder by a combination of state, university, and privately donated funds.
