Merrill Gymnasium is home to Tarbell Pool, a six-lane indoor track, four indoor tennis courts, a rock climbing wall, a cardio space, a multipurpose room and two sports medicine spaces. Changes to the largest athletic facility on campus will be completed soon after construction began in May. What is to come? 

The six-month project brings renovations to the swim locker rooms, which is exciting news for the Bates swimmers. The locker rooms, located adjacent to Tarbell Pool, consist of a general use area and swim team locker rooms which are shared with women’s soccer or visiting teams. According to Associate Athletic Director of Facilities and Recreation Scott Lehmann, the incentives for the renovation are “to improve and modernize the existing facilities.” 

The previous locker rooms had inaccessible gender-neutral bathrooms. In order to access the bathroom, Bates community members had to walk through the men’s locker room. “Not many people used it or knew about it,” Lehmann said. 

This construction is part of the ongoing push for bathroom equity over the past couple of years. Last year, The Bates Student reported that there was “a lack of fully accessible restrooms in athletic facilities.” With the redesigning of the space, there will be “improved accessibility to a private/all-gender restroom and shower,” said Lehmann.

The size of the team locker rooms raised another concern. Both the men’s and women’s swim teams have roughly 30 swimmers, but their previous locker rooms were roughly 240 square feet and 200 square feet, respectively. According to Lehmann, the new renovations include doubling the sizes of the team locker rooms and adding more lockers, a whiteboard, and hooks for swimmers to hang their bags and suits. 

The swim locker room renovation is the largest project done to Merrill since it was built in 1980. Lehmann states that there have only been “small, targeted improvements” to the athletic facility, like fitness rooms and a dance studio in 2004, and a renovation of the sports medicine room in 2019. This project, totaling over $1 million, is supported by Friends of Bates Athletics, as well as the college, according to Lehmann. 

While Chase Hall experienced delays in its opening due to rain damage from the summer, there has been no delay to Merrill renovations despite the torrential rain this past season. When asked when the locker rooms will be open for use, Lehmann said, “I’m hopeful by the end of the month.”

Lehmann added that Merrill needs more work. He spoke of renovating other team locker rooms and shared spaces in the athletic facility. But for now, we Bobcats await the grand reveal of the revamped Merrill swim locker rooms.