Return to Pointer View home page August 19,  2005

Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center grand opening 

Story and photos by Eric S. Bartelt
Assistant Editor 

Saturday marked the opening of the new 495,100 square-foot Arvin Cadet Physical Development Center, which will promote the physical advancement of the 4,100 cadets at the U. S. Military Academy.

The new state-of-the-art facility features many new amenities to include a new weight room, two pools with one pool that has wave capabilities, six racquetball courts, sports medicine facilities, boxing and wrestling rooms and a 48-foot high rock climbing wall donated by the Class of 1979.

According to Paul Merritt, Directorate of Public Works project manager, the concept for the new Arvin facility started back in 1991 while the design process began in the mid-1990s. Construction began in 1999 with the demolition of parts of the old structure, rock removal and the creation of temporary facilities.

For nearly three years, the construction of the new building has taken place culminating in the grand opening Saturday.

Varsity sports such as wrestling, club sports such as boxing and the many cadet intramurals will thrive within the immediacy of the new facility.

“Our club sports will benefit, as many of those have been farmed out to remote sites around post the last six years,” said Col. Gregory Daniels, Department of Physical Education director. “We’ve increased the size of our gymnasium space by nine-fold, so we have the opportunity now to allow the clubs to come back into a real gym instead of being in the Eisenhower Hall lobby, for instance.”

Intramural sports such as swimming and basketball will return, but the crown jewel of the physical development of cadets will be the climbing wall.

Plebes must take part in a course called “Military Movement,” which is essentially applied gymnastics and Monday began lessons that included the use of the climbing wall.

“The (Class of 1979 Climbing Wall) is one of the showcase features of the new facility and it’s going to be a magnificent boon to what we’re doing here in the physical program,” Daniels said. “We have some nice outdoor climbing facilities here, but in the event of inclement weather we really didn’t have an adequate indoor facility -- now we have that.

“With the popularity of rock climbing right now, particularly in the younger age group that comes here to the academy, plus the military relevance of the activity…the climbing wall addresses fitness (needs), muscle strength and endurance (for all of our cadets),” Daniels added.

The new ACPDC cost $97 million and was mostly Army-funded, with some appropriated funds authorized by Congress.

Building the ACPDC was a tough job because most new gym facilities are built outward, not upward.

“We literally were between a rock and a hard place. We were building in-between a historical site, the 1910 (Hayes Gym) facility, and a rock wall behind us -- so it was a very confined space,” Merritt said. “It was like building in New York City, building large volume spaces such as gymnasiums and pools and building them vertically, stacked on top of each other.

“It was a challenge from a design and construction standpoint because of the confined space,” Merritt said.

Currently, Hayes Gym is under renovation and will house a cardio room and weight-resistant weight equipment.

Daniels is focused on the physical development of all the cadets and with the help of assessment director, Susan Tendy, along with the major directorates; they will assess how the new center improves cadets physically.

“What’s going to change is the cadets will be able to access the state-of-the-art facility that includes a new third-floor weight room, which is predominately free weights, and selected life fitness machines and the expanded Class of ’62 room downstairs, which will triple in floor space,” Daniels said. “We now will enable cadets to improve their fitness better than they have been able to the last five, six years.”

Many cadets had been anxious for the opening and now the improvements they can make to their bodies are endless.

“(This place is) unbelievable,” said Cadet 1st Class Chelsea Haviland, a varsity diver. “I’m someone who’s very much into physical fitness, (and I believe) the second you offer greater things it’ll bring more people to love that feeling of working out.

 “I could see vast improvements in (PT scores) in our future, I think the thrill of this place, hopefully, will last because I think the stigma of Hayes Gym, its air, detracted people and I believe this will be great for the Corps.”

Haviland thinks it’s great to have added pool space because the varsity team takes up the pool for four hours on a daily basis during the season, and she also gives thanks to all the people who made this possible for the Corps of Cadets.

“I thank all the sponsors and donors because this is truly something the Corps needs to get everybody re-inspired,” Haviland said. “At times, the negative is what’s focused on throughout the Corps and this is a great positive that allows for a lot of positive energy to be focused in the right direction.”

The development center is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. West Point community members and DOD civilians are welcome; however, cadet-only hours will remain from 3 to 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday.