What started as a segment of the Be More Inspired campaign and a virtual “fly-through” has officially become a brand-new addition to Elizabethtown College. With just a few months left until its grand opening during the summer of 2019, the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being is set to include various amenities and recreational facilities for the College’s students, faculty and staff.
In the initial “fly-through” of the largest facility constructed on campus in the past 20 years, this virtual tour promised a wide range of sports, recreational and wellness spaces for the current and future College communities.
Some of the original layout design and plans included the following: a living room with a stone fireplace, a café smoothie bar, a demonstration kitchen, a fieldhouse equipped with an 180-meter indoor track, three men’s and three women’s locker rooms, an athletic training area, a fitness center with a separate group fitness area, a wellness program area and multiple outside recreational areas with the Class of 2018’s fire pit.
With approximately four months until its grand opening, the original proposals and plans remain intact as the finishing touches are made to the Center’s overall construction and design.
In a recent meeting with Vice President for Student Life Dr. Celestino Limas, some of the Etownian staff members were able to tour the current progress of the Bowers Center and visualize what the Bowers Center will be after its completion and grand opening in summer 2019.
In the tour with Limas, Etownian staff members experienced all of the aspects of the Bowers Center, which the College’s website lists as “caring for the whole person,” “increasing sports performance,” “encouraging student fitness” and “promoting holistic wellness.”
Within the “sports” portion of the Bowers Center, students, faculty and staff can expect to find locker rooms for athletic teams, coaches’ locker rooms, an office for the athletic trainer in the training room, bays, therapeutic tubs, an 180-meter indoor track and storage for the current athletic teams.
“Although this space will have some use by the athletic teams, we would like to keep some of this space open for both students and employees,” Limas said during the tour.
In terms of “wellness,” Limas showcased the amount of storage for dining and catering, which includes a full walk-in freezer, a café smoothie bar (which will serve smoothies, wraps and fresh, healthy foods), a relaxation room equipped with a sleep pod, free checkout of wellness equipment (like yoga mats), canopy bike storage, outdoor recreational space and a full-sized demonstration kitchen.
“[The demonstration kitchen] will rival anything on the Food Network,” Limas said.
Lastly, to represent the “fitness” aspect of the Bowers Center, students, faculty and staff can expect to see 52 pieces of cardio equipment, approximately 300 pieces of weight equipment, full-sized lockers and benches outside of the exercise classroom, a full stretching area, an exercise classroom that can be used for activities like glow yoga and spinning and the addition of a community strength and conditioning coach.
“[The strength and conditioning coach] will be at the services of the entire Etown community, not just the student athletes,” Limas said.
Limas additionally noted that the graduating class of 2019 will be able to use the Bowers Center at their leisure and for no extra costs or fees after its official opening.
Structurally, this $24.5 million project is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certified and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant with ADA compliant doors, a full-size elevator, wheelchair accessible bottle filling stations and ADA compliant showers.
Additionally, the public facilities are gender neutral, as are the individual showers with a full bathroom. The Bowers Center also includes panoramic views from the living room, an open-concept design and glass tints that fluctuate with the sunlight coming in through them.
Upon opening in the summer, the Bowers Center will be run by four full-time employees. Rather than using standard facial recognition to check in and out, there will be an L-shaped desk at the main entrance to swipe in. A potential “swipe out” station may also be implemented to survey how long community members are staying in the building.
For more information on the Bowers Center or to check on the building’s recent progresses, please visit https://www.etown.edu/inspired/wellness-center.aspx.
