By: Daniella Inzerilli
February 23, 2018 (Poughkeepsie, NY)-- Director of Athletics, Tim Murray, sat down with Marist SGA to explain the McCann addition, as well as to answer student questions and concerns. During this presentation, Murray talked about the new facilities available to students and what they can expect during the renovations.
The biggest change coming to The McCann Center is a complete redesign of the Grey Gym and the current Fitness Center. Students can expect two new full-size regulation basketball courts as well as an elevated indoor track in the new McCann. In response to student needs to workout during athletic teams’ training hours, there will be a separate athlete and non-athlete fitness facilities. In addition, the facility will be increasing in size by 750 square feet to approximately 6,800 square feet. The facility will be designed to account for a growing student population, which means the number of machines and weights will increase, allowing for more students to work out at once.
The new McCann gym will be expanding the locker room space as well. Currently, the only locker rooms are for women’s water polo, men’s swimming, and women’s swimming. In the renovated facility, there will be separate locker rooms for general students and athletes, giving athletes a space to store their equipment during the season. This expansion will serve the varsity sports as well as club teams for more space.
Additional areas in the new McCann include a café, an outdoor terrace, and an ESPN Control Room. The café and terrace will be another space where students can meet, do work, and grab a bite to eat before or after a workout. The ESPN Control Room will be especially beneficial for Marist College’s Sports Communication students; this space will allow students to broadcast both basketball and football games to ESPN3.
Murray continued to go in depth about how this expansion will affect students during the renovation. He expects the renovation to break ground this upcoming June and last between 12 to 16 months. The exact time frame will be determined based on the approvals from the town of Poughkeepsie.
Murray discussed the accommodations available to students during the renovation since the current gym facility will be unavailable. There will be a heated tent set up on the current McCann practice field that will serve as a fitness center, which includes weights for both athletes and the general student population. Murray projects that the space will be reserved for athletes until approximately 4:00pm; thereafter, it will be opened to general students. In addition, Marist will be expanding the Marketplace gym, primarily with cardio equipment, as another venue for students to workout. Finally, the Athletics Program is looking into off-campus space where varsity teams can practice, which will free up the tent mentioned above for general students. During the renovation, the current McCann arena and swimming pool will remain open.
In response to student questions, Murray told students that he would consider opening the McCann fitness center earlier for students once the renovation is complete. This will allow students to workout before their early morning classes. Murray said that he would look into adding heavier weights and more weight racks to Building D.
Tim Murray hopes that once the McCann gym is finished, students will have a larger and more inclusive environment to exercise and gather. With the new multi-purpose spaces, he hopes to see more students taking advantage of the facilities.
Have any questions or suggestions? Reach out to the SGA here, and we can communicate your concerns with Tim Murray and the Athletics Program.