Students here at CSU-Pueblo have been without our recreational building for some time now. The time has finally come when the HPER Building is open to students complete with swimming pool, racquetball courts, exercise and weight room, climbing wall, multipurpose/aerobics room, and miscellaneous other recreational space, according to an email sent out to the campus community by Jeremy Capo, Assistant Director of Athletics.

Students are charged a mandatory Sam Jones Facility fee which covers cost of building along with state dollars. Staffing and operating venues in the Sam Jones Center is also funded by this mandatory fee.

Because of this fee, all non-students, including faculty and staff must pay to use the center. This means that they must purchase a membership.

There is now a fee structure in place that addresses any concerns about full semester pricing. When the Student Recreation Center opens, at a later date, a new fee structure will go into place for all the venues of the Student Recreation Center.

The hours of operation for the Sam Jones Facility are Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Friday 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The fees for the center are $20 a month for faculty and staff or $5 for a daily fee. Alumni must pay $30 a month for memberships and community members must pay $40. Students are free. There is also a membership offered to any spouse or family member of students, faculty, staff and alumni. This monthly membership fee is $10.

A temporary parking pass will be given to community members when they purchase their membership that will last only while the membership does.

Those who wish to obtain a recreational pass must pay at the Cashier window in the Administration Building and then take the receipt to the Athletic Office, on the 3rd floor of the Administration Building where the pass will be issued.

The facilities are only open to those who are 18 years of age or older.

The swimming pool will not be open for the spring semester.