After a decade of planning, the University broke ground last spring for the construction of the Carmichael Complex expansion.

The expansion comes at a time when the size and amount of gym equipment at Carmichael pales in comparison to the number of students who utilize the facility.

Long lines for workout equipment encourage some students to forgoe their workouts.

Katie Blackman, a junior in communication, is one such student who is unable to work out as much as she’d like to because of the long lines at Carmichael.

“I really don’t have time to wait for so long for a machine and then wait again if I want to use something else,” she said. “I have homework, a job and extracurricular activities. There just isn’t time.”

Director of the expansion, Dawn Sanner, said there is such a large turnout by students every day that there is not enough space to accommodate students, physical education classes and campus recreation needs.

Hannah Smith, a sophomore in First Year College, said she is a routine gym user.

“I just love to work out and it’s a good place to see people you might not normally run into. The lines can be bad, but they probably wouldn’t stop me from going,” Smith said, adding that there are ways to be productive in a short time at the gym.

“Go at an unpopular time in the day, or do some other workout while you wait for a machine,” she said. “There are ways around the crowds.”

But according to Sanner, the crowds will soon not be a major issue. She said she estimates the completion of the project earlier than it had originally been scheduled for.

The expansion will feature such amenities as a 10,500 square foot cardiovascular and weight lifting floor, basketball courts, multi-purpose rooms, personal trainers with fitness assessments and a juice bar. Along with these additions, locker rooms and other current areas will be renovated.

New basketball courts, an artificial putting green and additions to the current weight rooms are all aspects of the large project students can use when they are completed, Sanner said, adding they may be available at the end of the semester.

Sanner said she looks forward to a positive new environment for students to enjoy.

“We try to do everything we can to service students,” she said. “This expansion will help to fit the gym more flexibly into their schedules.”

She also predicted that more students will come out to utilize the Carmichael Complex.

“My biggest fear is that it will become over-utilized because it will be so good,” she said.