The opening of a new multipurpose facility for graduate students, which will include a gym and a common space for those living in university apartments, has been postponed until January 2012.
The Kinross Recreation Center, nicknamed K-Rec, was originally scheduled to open in late October. But delays in obtaining building materials like wooden floorboards and lighting fixtures slowed the construction, said Rich Mylin, associate director of facility and event operations for UCLA Recreation.
The university has not incurred any costs as a result of the delay, he added.
The purpose of the Kinross Recreation Center is to give graduate students a common place to meet and exercise away from the undergraduate population. The center is also open to faculty members, but undergraduate students will not have access.
Alethia Shih, a first-year graduate English student, who currently goes to the John Wooden Center to exercise, said she has been anticipating the opening of Kinross for the convenience of having a gym in proximity to her apartment.
She said having K-Rec in the vicinity of her apartment would allow her to work out more often, even on days when she doesn’t have class and does not need to be on campus.
News of the delay did not surprise Matthew Fox, a first-year graduate student in sociology.
“At this point I’m not holding my hopes out because it keeps getting pushed back,” Fox said. “It’s great if it happens, but I’m not holding my breath.”
Other students, like Jeff Chen, a first-year medical student, said he does not mind waiting two more months for the grand opening.
If plans run smoothly, the department of recreation may hold soft openings over several days in the second half of December, Mylin said. The full opening of the facility however, is now scheduled for Jan. 9, the first Monday after winter break, Mylin said.
“The contractor and capitol programs and (UCLA) Recreation … we’re all just working really hard,” Mylin said. “It’s our main focus because we really want to get this open for the start of the new year.”