The Taylor athletic department is currently in the process of funding a $12 million athletic facility that will benefit everyone on campus.
The purpose of this building is to provide student athletes with a better quality space to workout and train. Those who enjoy exercising that aren’t members of an athletic team will reap the benefits of added equipment in The Well located in the Kessler Student Activities Center.
“I want to be clear though, this isn’t just going to benefit the athletes, I think everyone will be really excited about this,” Director of Athletics Kyle Gould said. With the new weight room coming with its own new equipment, the remaining equipment in The Well will be supplemented and replaced with the former athletic equipment. Not only will this provide better equipment to the non-athlete, but it will make more room for those who wish to use the space.
Within this building will be new locker rooms for the football and soccer teams. It will also come equipped with a weight room that will be full of not only sweaty student athletes, but new technology to push them further.
“At the time of the last upgrade to the athletic facilities we had about 300 student athletes,” Gould said. “We now have about 500.”
This increase in student athletes at Taylor has necessitated an increase in the supporting facilities. The current athletic facilities can only fit about 30 athletes at a time, whereas the newly planned weight room is expected to comfortably fit 120.
This building will be more than an athletic facility. It will be a place where the athletes from across Taylor sports will be joined.
“Already we see an increase in athletes supporting and watching athletes in the past couple years,” Gould said.
A primary goal within the athletic department is to foster and encourage this community of athletes within Taylor to provide them with a space to exercise, regardless of their sport.
This new facility is designed to meet the training needs of everyone in the athletic department, from the cross country runners to the football players.
The new facility is planned to be on the north end of Turner Stadium behind the end zone. While there is no definite timetable for the release of the project, the athletic department has an architectural plan.
The entirety of the upgrades will be funded through donations, meaning none will come from tuition costs. The advancement office is currently looking for a couple of major donors to make larger gifts.
“It’s really important that advancement is not asking for money,” Leadership Gifts Coordinator Jonathon Forte said. “It’s if they (potential donors) have a desire to bless Taylor, then how we can be of service to them to fulfill that desire the best we can.”
The timetable for construction will be dependent on the rate of fundraising.
