The new Carmichael Recreation Center has had a positive response, but Dawn Sanner, director of facilities and operations of Carmichael Complex, said problems still need to be addressed in older facilities.

According to Sanner, around 700 people came to the new center Monday, and about 1,000 people came Tuesday.

Jeff Loken, a freshman in sports management and employee of the center, said there have been about 90 to 100 people in the center at times.

“The numbers are great this week,” Sanner said.

Vanessa Buchanan, a facility monitor and junior in industrial engineering, said traffic has not changed in the old facility because “the word hasn’t gotten around” about the new complex yet.

As the new facility provides more cardiovascular and weight-training equipment, she said some spaces will be converted for different needs at the older parts of Carmichael.

“Room 1201 will be renovated to have heavier dumbbells” for people interested in Olympic-style lifting, she said.

And according to Sanner, facilities will be providing women-only hours in room 1202, with a wider range of lighter dumbbells.

But with these advances, she said Carmichael has many problem areas that need to be fixed.

The 25-meter pool, used for competition and various classes, is 46 years old, and Sanner said pools are only supposed to last 15 or 20 years.

Fixing and modernizing that pool would take $1.3 million, she said.

The pools are used frequently for classes and recreation, and now they are rented out to high schools for added revenue.

“It’s great that we’re generating revenue, but [it doesn’t matter] if the pool runs out of water,” she said.

According to Sanner, she has appreciated the University’s help in evaluating the problem, which she said affects its academic mission.

“There is an understanding that this is a University problem, not a Carmichael problem,” she said.

The University also needs to fix the 50-yard pool, but Sanner said it is newer and a lower priority.

Field space has also become an issue, as Sanner said a standard university should have one acre of space for every 1000 students.

N.C. State currently has 12 acres of field space, and Sanner said the amount of use damages them, leaving behind hardly a “patch of green grass.”

“We need to think about turfing those fields, so, when it rains, people can still play,” she said.

According to Sanner, the University has already made improvements to portions of the gym.

“We did an almost complete upgrade in the women’s locker room,” she said, including new lockers, paint work and toilet partitions.

The Carmichael staff has also addressed water conservation issues, with new shower heads in locker rooms, and accessibility issues, she said.

There are cracks in the men’s showers that need attention, and Sanner said that will have to be done this year.

Further possible renovations include refinishing racquetball courts and installing toilets and urinals to conserve water, Sanner said.

Student suggestions inspired the creation of the new recreation center, according to Sanner, so she said she is anticipating the next round of student surveys to see what they want and need.

According to Sanner, clocks have been installed and abdominal balls and exercise mats have been ordered for the center because of students’ requests.

The staff is also looking at locker and cubby combinations, so students can store materials without going in the older facility, according to Loken.