An artist's rendering of the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness with a Quarry Suites building in the background.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Gettysburg College broke ground on its new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness May 30. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, donors, coaches and community leaders were in attendance for the ceremony.

"The Center will provide the great athletic and recreation space needed for our exceptionally active community, and we anticipate it will become one of the campus's most popular gathering spaces," said Interim President Janet Morgan Riggs '77. "We are delighted to have this project under way, and we are most grateful to the many hundreds of donors whose contributions have made it possible."

A 55,000-square-foot building will connect to the west side of Gettysburg College's Bream/Wright/Hauser athletic facility, closing Constitution Avenue between West Lincoln Avenue to Broadway. The new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness will include a natatorium with eight competition lanes, four-lane warm-up pool and 350-seat spectator gallery; a 10,000-square-foot weight and fitness room; multipurpose spaces for aerobics, yoga, Pilates, spinning and martial arts classes; a renovated athletic training room with a Hydroworx therapy pool; and expanded facilities for campus recreation and experiential education programs including a state-of-the-art     bouldering and rock climbing wall. Preliminary plans call for the facility to open in Fall 2009. The building will be constructed following a set of standards for environmental sustainability developed by the United States Green Building Council, also known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

A webcam will track construction of the new facility. 

The new building was approved by Gettysburg College's Board of Trustees last fall. A subcommittee of the board, led by 1965 Gettysburg College graduate John Jaeger, performed a detailed preconstruction review, including project scope and architectural design. Cannon Design served as the architect for the project. The design and pre-construction manager is the Stone House Group, project manager is DANAC, a real estate development firm, and construction manager is Kinsley Construction.

The first major gift for the $25-million project was given by Jaeger, whose $1.2-million gift was used to successfully encourage others to give. In his role as trustee, Jaeger long recognized a pressing need for additional athletic and recreation space for Gettysburg's active campus community. Nearly 25 percent of the student body belongs to one of the college's 24 varsity athletic teams, and more than three-fourths of students take part in an extensive intramural and club sports program.

"The Center will allow us to provide programming for the multitude of people on campus who wish to improve or maintain their fitness level," said Gettysburg College Athletic Director David Wright. "Whether a student-athlete or a recreational user, the Center is a critical improvement for the campus."

Gettysburg College also received a gift of $2 million from Robert Ortenzio, which was the largest single outright gift made by a living individual in the history of the college. Chief executive officer of Select Medical Corporation in Mechanicsburg, Ortenzio was an All-America wrestler for the Bullets and was inducted into the Gettysburg College Hall of Athletic Honor in 1999.

"Athletics was an important part of my educational experience at Gettysburg and I am happy that I can support this important project - a project that will further the strong athletic tradition at the college," Ortenzio said. "The new center will also add vitally needed recreation and fitness space for all members of the campus community."

Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with approximately 2,600 students. It is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. The college was founded in 1832.

Issued: 6/4/08

By: Kendra Martin 

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