Fresh look for GCC Lindquist Student Center

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Gogebic Community College's David G. Lindquist Center is receiving a facelift.

During the summer, areas receiving renovations and maintenance work are the student lounge, the Courtside Cafe, formerly known as the Snack Bar, the gymnasium and the hallway.

When the upgrades are complete, Lindquist Center Director Dorie Fornero said the center will be more modern and accessible.

"We're making cosmetic changes to the facility to update it and make it more user-friendly for our students," she said.

According to Fornero, GCC started planning the gym renovations at the beginning of the year.

"Discussions for the gymnasium started back in January, and then we got the bids," she said. "Renovations started in mid-June."

Inside the gym, Fornero said the floor will be redone to show pride in the community.

"It's not only investing in our athletics, it's investing in our students and our community," she said.

Fornero led a team to design the new floor. The team consisted of coaches, Athletic Director Aaron Bender and Dean of Business Erik Guenard.

"We came together and put all of our ideas in one. Over the process, we came up with the design to incorporate our new brand," Fornero said.

If everything goes according to plans, Fornero said the gym floor will be completed by mid-August.

To go with the new floor, the college motorized the bleachers and installed P-shaped handrails.

By motorizing the bleachers, Fornero said it will take less time and labor to store or move them.

"I had to depend of the maintenance crew to do it, because they were physically laboring and heavy," she said. One of our crew members could do it in 10 to 15 minutes. Now I can do it in five minutes."

Fornero said the motorizing the bleachers will make them last longer.

"They're moving out as a complete unit, instead of individual units, where they're shifting and getting sideways and maybe damaging the hardware underneath," she said.

And by installing P handrails, Fornero said the gym will be more accessible to everyone.

"The P rails were put in to accommodate our students and our older community members for safety," she said.

Since the gym is being modernized, Fornero said it was necessary to upgrade the surrounding areas, as well.

"The updates to the lounge and the Snack Bar area were sparked from the upgrades to the gymnasium," she said.

With a new name comes new food options.

"We're adding gluten-free options and a mini salad bar a couple days a week," Fornero said.

Throughout the student lounge and hallway, Fornero said they applied fresh coats of paint on the walls to change things.

"You know, anything that's up-to-date and looks fresh picks up the attitude of everybody," she said. "That's what we tried to do."

Maintenance workers also waxed the floors, cleaned the carpets and deep-cleaned other areas of the student and conference center.

The Lindquist Center was built in 1993 to provide opportunities for physical education programs, and social, cultural and recreational activities.

Not majorly updated in over 10 years, Fornero said the new center will be well received.

"I believe when they come and it's a finished product, everyone will be very proud to be a part of the GCC," she said. "The community, the students, the staff, everyone's going to enjoy the improvements."