Long Awaited Fitness Room Renovation
Jocelyn Barton
STAFF WRITER
Positive improvements brought about by recent Fitness Room renovations addressed most concerns surrounding air quality and upgrading fitness equipment.
The Fitness Room has been designated as a space for students and school faculty to practice physical exercise and wellness activities. However, previous inconsistencies with maintenance have resulted in sub-par air quality.
Meredith Emery, Physical Education teacher and primary user of this room, stated that the Fitness Room was “like an airplane, it just recycle[d] the fresh air.” Prior to COVID, its main source of circulation originated from outdoor drafts, heating in the winter, and the locker room’s breeze through vents.
In the midst of the pandemic, Andover High School revised the air quality for the entire school to make sure all areas met the required standard. As a result, the Fitness Room was temporarily shut down and the doors had been locked … until this fall. The no-access protocol was finally lifted this September, allowing classes to be held once again in this area.
During this shutdown, the renovation began and included the implementation of a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system (HVAC) allowing for the flow of outdoor air and new workout equipment which was completed in September. A shipment of ceiling fans and speakers has been added recently as well.
AHS’s Varsity Track team using the fitness room after school for practice on January 3rd, 2022
There have been noticeable differences due to the renovation which boosts the confidence of faculty in the Fitness Room. “I’m not concerned about the air quality in the room because I feel very confident in the work [the engineers and facility managers] did to make sure that the air quality in the school is okay,” Principal Caitlin Brown said. “You can definitely feel in [the Fitness Room] that there is not stagnant air and that there is air flow that is coming through the vents,” said Donna Ruseckas, Physical Education department coordinator of AHS.
Emery has also asked students to wipe off workout machines when they are finished using them. The care of equipment in this room is a big priority for improving the Fitness Room’s cleanliness. “Students have responded very well to that and that is a big piece of being able to come in here,” said Ruseckas.
Yet, there are still areas left to improve. The vents in the Fitness Room have gathered dust overtime due to the in and out flow of the filtration system, causing some worries to arise.
Anthony Morgante, a junior and a student of Emery’s, stated, “It’s scary, honestly, because not only do we have to worry about the bacteria of viruses going around, but we also have to worry about the actual air quality.”
Brown acknowledges that the appearance of these vents don’t help people feel optimistic about the air quality, but plans on keeping up with its maintenance and working closely with custodial supervisor Vernon Jones to make sure these issues are solved as soon as possible.
These improvements are all beneficial in the long run for both students and staff, especially those who take physical fitness as their physical education credit. For these students to have a clean and sanitary environment to work out and burn off some energy is extremely important and essential.
Emery, who probably spends more time in the Fitness Room than the entire AHS population, said “I’m definitely feeling really good about [the fitness room].”
