IAB Renovations Won't Finish Until December

The Indoor Athletic Building (IAB), which has been undergoing extensive renovations since last spring, will not fully reopen until December, University officials said yesterday.

The $4 million overhaul of the IAB was originally scheduled for completion last month but was delayed by setbacks and revised plans, according to George Oommen, a senior official in the Planning Office.

Good Timing

Oommen said the building's facilities will return to normal use in three stages, beginning with the reopening of the third-floor gymnasium, wrestling, and fencing rooms next week if new electrical equipment passes inspection.

New basement locker rooms, a nautilus weight-lifting gym, and entrance level offices will be ready for use in early November, he said, but the pool will not be ready until sometime in December.

Oommen said pool improvements are taking longer than expected because of a late decision to paint the ceiling over the pool. That work required building a three-story scaffolding, which further stalled the project, he said.

An electricians' strike during the summer also held up the renovations, Oommen added.

According to coaches, the renovations have not yet caused serious problems for teams that use the IAB.

Wrestling Coach John H. Lee has postponed his first practice session one week as a result of the delays. Men's fencing Coach Ben Zivcovik said the renovations will not be delaying his team's practice season, and swimming teams have been using the Blodgett Pool.