SERF expansion slated for 2002

A plan to ease overcrowding at UW–Madison’s Southeast Recreational Facility, 715 W. Dayton St., is moving forward.

The Board of Regents June 8 approved a three-story addition to SERF, which will house four basketball/volleyball courts on the first two levels and an aerobics facility with space for cardiovascular and dance training on the top level.

SERF was built in 1983 to serve the 3,900 students living in campus high-rise dormitories across the street, but an estimated 500,000 participants used the facility last year.

“We are at capacity all school year long,” says David Berge, UW–Madison director of recreational sports.

Despite a series of building upgrades to maximize space, SERF fails to provide enough room to meet the growing demand for recreational activities.

“My main concern is how many people who have had bad experiences don’t come back because of overcrowding,” Berge says.

Students, faculty and staff will share the cost of the $6.3 million project through fee increases:

–Student segregated fees will increase $6.49 per semester, a move approved during a student referendum in February 1998.

–The annual fee for faculty and staff to use SERF will go from $78 to $90.

The State Building Commission will consider the project later this month. Construction should begin late this year and wrap up before fall classes begin in 2002.