The Board of Governors at Missouri Western State University today accepted a bid from Brooner & Associates Construction Inc. to renovate the Baker Family Fitness Center. The project will cost approximately $220,000.

“The renovations will make the fitness center more inviting and pleasant for the students, employees, alumni and Gold Coat Club members who get so much use out of it already,” said Kurt McGuffin, director of athletics. “The project will also add a much-needed locker room for our women’s soccer team.”

Most visible to the public will be changes to the weight room and cardio workout area. Some walls will be taken down to expand the crowded cardio area and give the whole fitness center a more open appearance. Space that housed the Griffon football coaches’ offices until the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex opened in 2010 will be gutted for a large multi-purpose room that can be used for fitness or other classes.

New restrooms and a larger reception area are planned for the front of the building. The current locker rooms will be refurbished with new fixtures and flooring. There will also be a laundry room in the former football conference room.

A former training room will be made into a locker room for the women’s soccer team. This will be the first time in the program’s seven year history that Griffon soccer has had a locker room to call its own. What used to be the home football locker room and a laundry room is being renovated into a new training room and visitors’ locker room.

Brooner’s bid of $220,932 was the lowest among the five St. Joseph contractors that bid on the project. The project will be funded by Max Experience student fees and money set aside for renovation projects in the university’s auxiliary budget.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu. Missouri Western is an equal opportunity institution.