Long waits for weightlifting benches and cardio machines may be a thing of the past for the Bates community. On Thursday, March 5, the college officially announced plans to construct a new fitness facility and to renovate Alumni Gym and Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building (also known as Gray Cage).

The project will be funded through donors and the college’s own investment. Fundraising for the project started 18 months ago, with over 50 donors contributing to the $45 million project.

According to the Thursday announcement, a recent gift of $10 million from Bates alumni Jon W. Brayshaw and Jocelyn Stoddard Brayshaw pushed Bates within $4 million of its $31 million fundraising goal. Vice President for College Advancement Eric Foushée said that the gift also puts the college at about 90 percent of their funding goal to break ground on the project.

The Stoddard Fitness and Well-Being Center will be named for Jocelyn Brayshaw’s late parents, Donald and Judith Stoddard, who both died in 2021. The college said that the center honors their legacy of healthy and active lifestyles, promoting the overall wellness of the campus.

The Stoddard Center will be designed by Sasaki Associates Inc., the same architectural firm that designed Commons. The new building will be built between Alumni Gym and Gray Cage and will double the amount of fitness space available to students and faculty, with new areas for strength training, cardio, yoga and pilates. It will also have new coaching offices, program spaces and a space for sports medicine.

The college also plans to make upgrades to Alumni Gym, including a restoration and reopening of the viewing balcony. Gray Cage will receive a new practice basketball court as well.

Additionally, updates will be made to 11 team locker rooms including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s alpine skiing, men’s and women’s Nordic skiing, men’s soccer, softball and volleyball.

Students said that they were excited for the new athletics space. Bryce Ahn ‘29, an athlete on the men’s rowing team, said the center’s location will help with managing early practices. “Its location could save me and others living on Frye Street a lot of time and sleep in the morning. Any bit helps for recovery as an athlete,” he said.

Others said that the facility is much needed, especially for managing crowding at the gym. Temperance England ‘29, a track athlete, said, “I think it would be really helpful to the athletes, because during our big lifts, the gym tends to get very crowded, even with just our team.”

Another track athlete, Chandler Folkerts ‘29, also spoke about his hopes for the gym, saying that he’d like more space to do his training drills.

According to the college’s announcement, an average of 450 students use the Davis Fitness Center daily. Chris Streifel, director of capital planning and construction, said, “We’ve maxed out that space,” when considering the additional faculty and staff members that use the facility.

While this space benefits varsity athletes, its advantages are not limited to those on a sports team. Stacey Bunting, Bates’ Director of Athletics, highlighted that the project is for the entire student body.

In a statement to The Student, she said, “The Stoddard Fitness and Well-Being Center will enhance the experience for our varsity student-athletes while also creating a space where every student can invest in their own well-being.”

President Garry Jenkins said in another statement to The Student that this project prioritizes the student experience at Bates. “Investing in fitness and well-being is a direct investment in the Bates student experience. It represents our deep commitment to the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. The entire Bates community will benefit from additional space and resources to support exercise, physical fitness, and wellness programming, enabling students to succeed both in and out of the classroom.”

Jenkins noted that the Board of Trustees has also been “fully supportive of the project.”

“Not only have they been actively involved in the planning, but the majority of the leadership gifts received for the project have also come from current and former trustees,” he said.

Bates said that they hope to begin construction on May 1.