Since April 28, 2017, the almost 18-month project has been fueled by the idea of giving South Dakota State a holistic wellness experience, says Shari Landmark, Wellness Center director for recreation and fitness.
“It’s called the Wellness Center because we focus on all the dimensions of wellness, rather than just the physical side,” said Shari Landmark, director of the Wellness Center.
The project was funded by the General Activity Fee, a fee all students pay to fund various activities, organizations and shared facilities on campus.
RENOVATION
Before the expansion began, renovation happened in phase one. Over Christmas break, all the renovations were completed.
First, the administrative office created a central spot for all administrative offices in the building. The office now sits where the Ping-Pong tables once were. Before, offices were scattered about the building.
With all the offices in one area, the renovation had more room to work with. Space was cleared up to give the student clinic a bigger area and privacy for a waiting room.
The pharmacy, once hidden behind the clinic, now has a storefront in “the spine,” the main hallway, of the Wellness Center.
“The renovation was something that was needed for the flow and functionality of the clinic site,” Students’ Association Senator Corey Berscheit said. “So it could be more user-friendly for the pharmacy and make the whole waiting room areas and more privatized in that part of it.”
EXPANSION
The new space includes more space for fitness with a new full-sized basketball court with a drop-down volleyball net, two roquette ball courts, one cardio studio and one multi-activity court (MAC).
“The MAC will be for floor hockey, soccer, futsal, handball, pickleball, badminton and will have a batting cage that can be used for batting or for golf,” Landmark said.
There’s also new equipment to use. This equipment includes new treadmills, ellipticals, step machines, rowing machines, tires and weights.
Out of the 21 new treadmills, 15 of them will have Bluetooth capabilities so students can connect their Fitbit or Apple Watch to the machine to track their personal workout data better.
Berscheit was a member of the Wellness Center planning committee and made decisions on the little details for the new space.
Berscheit joined the planning committee over the summer, at that point, Senators were looking at all the fine details of the space. He said he pushed branding of the Wellness Center with small logos.
“We wanted to let students know it’s the Wellness Center, even little things,” Berscheit said. “We put the Wellness Center logo on the new like dumbbells and other things like that.”
The Outdoor Adventure Program now has its own space complete with a garage door outside to better haul kayaks and canoes in and out of the building and a meeting room to prepare students for trips and other business.
“The Wellness Center already encompasses a lot of different you know diverse features for everyone,” he said. “More spaces expands a lot of opportunities and one of those things is the Outdoor Program.”
There will be additional maintenance and laundry space for the Wellness Center staff.
“There’s just a lot of opportunities to not only live in phase two, Berscheit said,” … but then also to grow into it as well.”
A FITTING TIME TO OPEN
Landmark remembers Hobo Day’s tagline from 10 years ago — “Hobos get physical” — named for the new Wellness Center.
She pushed to have the building done during Hobo Week to “celebrate the past 10 years and show off the facility to all the alumni.” The Wellness Center will have buttons at the dedication and grand reopening that say “Hobos stay fit.”
So, Landmark finds it suiting the dedication and grand reopening is taking place during Hobo Week 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12 at the Wellness Center.
“It’s just a great time to celebrate the building,” Landmark said.
