SCCC’s proposed fitness center with Olympic-size pool gets $2M from state
The state has approved spending $2 million for the proposed fitness center at Suffolk County Community College’s Northampton campus. The decision came after the Suffolk County Legislature also approved spending $2 million for the long-awaited project, which includes an Olympic-size pool.
The project was approved in 2015 and estimated to cost $16.7 million. Other than a ceremonial groundbreaking, work never got started due to delays in the permitting process.
The delay meant the county had to rebid the project and the estimated cost came in about $4 million higher. For the project to move forward, the county and state would have to split that additional cost.
Following a lengthy debate March 28, the Suffolk County Legislature passed a bonding resolution in a revote to fund the project. The state’s 2017-18 budget was approved Saturday.
State Senator Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) said in a press release after the budget was adopted that the fitness center will be the “first of its kind on the East End.”
“I am pleased that I was able to secure the extra funding to assist in the completion of the facility,” he said. “It is a welcomed addition to the campus and will be well utilized by the students and community residents.”
In addition to the pool, the proposed 40,000-square-foot fitness center includes a regulation-size basketball court, an indoor track and weight training equipment, among other health and wellness amenities.
Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor) said in a press release he believes the fitness center will not only “enhance the experience of SCCC students, but it will also be a resource for the entire community, particularly the swimming pool which has long been a dream for East End residents.”
Courtesy photo: The SCCC campus in Brentwood.
