The twisted pieces of copper that covered the roof of the University Student Recreational Complex are gone.The water-drenched hardwood floors of the basketball courts have become warped.And Timothy Robertson, computer engineering freshman, won’t be able to play ball for a while.Robertson, who used the courts every day since coming to the University, said he had to find other ways to practice before trying out for the LSU men’s basketball team, which he plans on doing.The UREC’s roof was blown off from Gustav’s severe 91 mph winds, and with an estimated $3 million worth of damage, the facility opened its doors Friday to students, faculty and staff.The top priority is to repair the building, but officials have to follow the rules of the state and the LSU System, according to Tricia Milford-Hoyt, UREC assistant director of marketing and membership.Before any kind of repairs can be made, Milford-Hoyt said she has to make sure all of the insurance papers for the UREC are properly filed so the students do not get a fee increase.Milford-Hoyt could not estimate a timeline for repairs to start or finish.Despite not being able to use the disfigured basketball courts, Robertson said he was glad to see the UREC open.Tamara Jarrett, UREC director, said the roof was sealed off Thursday and Friday to prevent further damage to the facility.Despite the damage to the building and the 79 hours of power outage, Jarrett said she’s happy to reopen the UREC to students.”We are very happy to be … doing what we do best, and that’s serving students,” Jarrett said. “The staff has been here the whole time.”Philip Fach, University alumnus whose apartment has been without power since Sept. 1, said the UREC gives him something to do.Even if he’s not working out, Fach said he would go to the UREC to cool off in the air-conditioned building or use the Internet.Milford-Hoyt said she wants people to come to the UREC, even though the damages and closed areas might be an inconvenience. She said the cool air, televisions and Internet give students other options.Joe Ridgely, finance senior, said he can still see the damage Gustav caused to the UREC.During the four days the UREC was closed, Ridgely said he would sneak into apartment complexes to use their gyms.A frequenter of the now-ruined indoor track, Ridgely said he used alternative options for his running, such as the lakes and treadmills.During a visit to the UREC last Wednesday, Jarrett said many of the administrators and a few students spent several nights at the facility making sure to prevent further damage outside of the basketball courts and the indoor track.UREC officials plan to continue providing a place for students to play basketball, Jarrett said.”We’ve got portable goals, so we’re going to use a part of the tennis court [to turn into basketball courts],” Jarrett said Wednesday. “It’s not ideal, but it’s still basketball.”The LSU men’s basketball team donated purple and gold street balls to the UREC to use for the makeshift basketball courts.For an alternative to the indoor track, Jarrett said students still have several options — including treadmills within the UREC and the trail around the University’s lakes.The indoor pool, which was closed while the UREC was open, was unable to circulate water during the 79-hour blackout, Milford-Hoyt said.UREC officials had to determine if the water was safe after being stagnant for more than three days. The pool will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.Hoping to return to normal operations today, Milford-Hoyt said hours may be skewed because of the parish-mandated curfew.Normal hours for the UREC before Hurricane Gustav were 5:45 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday. But with the curfew, Milford-Hoyt said the times will change to 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.—-
Contact J.J. Alcantara at [email protected]