Sports complex ground-breaking to begin I while apartment complex still delayed NEWS

by Jim Martin sports editor

The end is finally near.

After many delays, the groundbreaking for the sports complex has been set for Sunday, Sept. 29, during Family Weekend.

At the end of last year's school term, the sports complex and the new apartment complex were two of the biggest projects on the school's agenda.

The groundbreaking for the sports complex was supposed to have taken place in July, but once again, due to unexplained reasons, it was delayed.

Groundbreaking for the apartment complex occurred on Saturday, May 18, the day before graduation. However, there has been no actual construction done since then.

Laura Irwin, assistant director of resident life said construction has been delayed because zoning for the complex has not been approved by the township.

According to Irwin, preparations for construction have been made and the area in which the apartments will be built has been marked off. There are some changes that have been made in both the sports and apartment complex.

The new sports complex model is different from the original one.

According to Dr. Robert Bonfiglio, director of student development, everything inside the sports complex will remain basically the same.

Bonfiglio said the main difference is that the complex will look different on the outside than the original one. The new model will still have a gym that will seat 1500 spectators, a swimming pool, locker rooms, two squash courts, a training room facility, an elevated track, a fitness and free weight area, and an aerobics room.

Also, Bonfiglio added that the cost to build the new model is approximately the same as that of the old model.

The school hired a new company to build the apartment complex. The Entech corporation was originally hired to build the apartments but due to financial reasons, they have been replaced by Butz Construction, a company out of Allentown.

The apartment complex is expected to hold 120 people.

Irwin said the apartments will hold four to six people. Each apartment will consist of a living room, dining room, a kitchen, either two or three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

As to when the apartments will be completed, Irwin said the building should be ready for occupancy by September 1997.

Gilbane Construction, which will be building the sports complex, has given the school a target completion date of September 1997. John Dzik, director of athletics, said this date was an aggressive estimate, but that he was confident it would be ready no later than January 1998.

Dzik also said he is very excited about the groundbreaking of the sports complex.

"When the facility is completed, it will clearly be equal to, if not better, then the schools in our conference and the schools of our same size in the surrounding area," Dzik said.

The news of the groundbreak-

Friday, August 30,1996 ing far both the sports and apartment complex was met by a mixed reaction from the students. After many delays in the groundbreaking of the sports complex, some students are taking a waitand-see approach.

"I won't believe it until I actually see it," senior Joe Morris said.

Also, with the construction of the apartments being pushed back, other students are skeptical as to when completion will take place.

"I hope this doesn't tum into another sports complex ordeal," junior Stephanie Bono said, "where they keep telling us it's going to be completed but then they keep pushing the completion date back."