AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State President Gregory Geoffroy has accepted the recommendation of the Special Student Fee and Tuition Committee to proceed with planning of the proposed recreation facilities project.
Geoffroy will ask the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, for authorization to proceed with the planning and programming phase of the $52.8 million project. The regents are scheduled to meet April 30-May 1.
"After a thorough examination, the committee recommended approval of this project, and the majority of students who voted in last month's referendum also favored the project. The need for updating and expanding our recreation facilities is clear. We're hopeful the Regents will give us the go-ahead to continue planning," Geoffroy said.
The fee and tuition committee, which includes students and administrators, approved its recommendation March 12. Nearly 6,500 students voted in the Feb. 25-27 referendum, and the results showed 52 percent favored the project.
The project involves construction of an addition to State Gym, renovations to State Gym and Beyer Hall, and air conditioning at Lied Recreation Center.
The proposed project would be financed by student fees at $20 per semester for the first two years and then increasing to $107 per semester.
If the regents authorize continued planning, a new committee would be formed to work on detailed plans, which would include consideration of student comments submitted during the referendum. Students likely would form the majority of that committee, according to Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance.