JOHNSON, Vt.— Construction is underway on a new wellness suite in the SHAPE center at Northern Vermont University's Johnson campus, with renovations that will increase space for stretching, core workouts, mixed martial arts training and group exercise.  

The wellness suite — converting existing underused space in SHAPE — will enhance fitness opportunities for a range of abilities and interests and support growing use of the facility by students, faculty, staff and the public. About 18,000 visits to SHAPE were recorded in the 2018-19 academic year.

The climbing wall, racquetball court and existing group exercise/mixed martial arts room are offline during construction, scheduled to be completed in early March 2020. The fitness center remains open, except for the hallway to the right of the entrance.

The renovations are made possible by donations to NVU, led by a gift from Peter and Evelyn Fuss, longtime supporters and friends of the university. 

"We are grateful to our donors and their shared commitment to improving our SHAPE facility, so it remains a strong wellness resource for our community," NVU President Elaine Collins says. "NVU's mission is to foster personal growth and wellness, both key to building a healthier community. These gifts enable NVU to provide additional fitness options for our students, faculty, staff and community members, furthering our mission." 

The wellness suite will convert areas on the ground and main levels of SHAPE into new spaces for strength and conditioning, stretching and core work, and group exercise. The existing strength training and cardio equipment will remain in its current place and configuration.

"The expansion to the SHAPE facility will allow NVU to continue to promote a culture of lifelong wellness for our community, as well as support our student-athletes' needs to become more competitive on the playing surfaces," NVU Associate Dean of Athletics and Recreation Jamey Ventura says. "These gifts come at a great time for us to continue the evolution of our facility in meeting the needs of our community."

NVU Director of Facilities and Physical Plant Michael Stevens is overseeing the SHAPE renovations, which are being done by Kingdom Construction of Newport.

  ** Floor Plan measurements are approximate and are for illustrative purposes only.