Weight shed to close for $2 million remodel, reopens next fall

Point Loma Nazarene University’s weight shed will undergo a $2 million remodel next semester since its establishment nine years ago. University officials said they expect the green light next month and will begin work at a moment’s notice.

The campus community will be able to access the new gym facility with their school IDs. It will be in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and will include a bathroom, water station, multi-purpose racks, a yoga deck, turf, and new equipment. The hours will also be changing — from 1-5 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Jeff Bolster, PLNU vice president of university services, said the project will take four to five months and will be ready to operate by the following fall semester. 

Without a tentative start date for construction, this leaves the weight shed’s student workers in limbo, of having their jobs until further notice. Abigail Laberge, PLNU intramural and compliance coordinator, said there are many unknowns about the remodel process, but that she will exhaust every option to ensure her workers get the hours they were promised for the semester.

“I care about my students; I care about them getting their hours — that’s why as soon as I find out info, I’ll always let them know,” she said.

She said that she doesn’t know what staffing will look like for the new facility, as it can technically operate on its own. Bolster said someone will be needed to open and close the facility, but it’s Laberge’s decision for staffing.

Mason Bloeser, a weight shed supervisor and fourth-year biology major, said the news was shocking.

“It’s such a good job; it’s a little bit disappointing that it’s going to be taken away at any notice,” he said.

The majority of the money used for the project was raised through fundraising, according to Bolster. One family donated a large portion of it in honor of their son, who died, who loved the area near the weight shed, according to Bolster. The facility will be named after their son, the Larry Ryan Fitness Pavilion.

Bolster said multiple groups at PLNU, including intramurals, Senate and Athletics, collaborated to determine how best to meet the community’s needs. He said that Athletics agreed not to allow the university’s sports teams to use the space for training, prioritizing the area for the student body, faculty and staff.

“I hope that what this will provide for the student body is a first attempt at meeting a significant need for them,” Bolster said. “I don’t think that is going to solve our problem for workout space for our student body, but I think it’s going to help a lot.”