The Pioneer Activity Center underwent a major expansion in 2010 and plans have been approved for another renovation to the facility. The Board of Regents approved the project, but work will not move forward until it is enumerated in the State’s 2015-2017 capital budget.

Information from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Budget Office shows the annual operating costs of the PAC for 2013-2014 at $385,134. With total revenue for that time period at $448,115, the facility had a net operating income of $62,981. In comparison, the 2014-2015 operating summary for the PAC shows the operating costs are presently at $313,124 with current revenue for this period at $424,783, putting the net operating income for the present year at $111,659.

The majority of the PAC operating costs come from student funding. Monies generated to cover the costs of its operation are made available through a portion of the segregated fees paid by students. In addition to the PAC contribution, segregated fees also cover items such as textbook rentals, health services, and campus events.

Student revenue contributions for 2013-2014 were $375,429 and are presently at $372,961 for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The money contributed to the PAC from segregated fees per student is $58 per semester for full-time students and $54 for part-time students.

PAC memberships provide an additional source of income for the facility. Memberships vary depending upon age, student, faculty or general public status, type of membership, and membership term. A full-time student receives a PAC membership at no charge. All other membership fees range from $45 per semester for a full-time student family to $142 annually for a faculty family membership to $290 annually for a general public family membership.

During the 2013-2014 fiscal year, membership fees generated $60,038 in revenue. Fees received for the 2014-2015 year are at $42,874.

Other sources of PAC funding include hourly rental fees for miscellaneous items such as racquetball racquets, protective eyewear and tennis racquets as well as monies paid to reserve tennis and racquetball courts. The hourly rate for equipment rental is $1 and the tennis and racquetball court fees are $4 per hour.

Fitness classes offered throughout the year are another resource for revenue. Participants in fitness courses pay $30 to receive a punch card good for 16 lessons. Individuals purchasing a punch card then have the flexibility of being able to choose from a wide variety of classes at varying fitness levels to attend. The classes are offered on a weekly basis throughout the year to students and the general public.

“Right now, I have more university students than general public students in my PiYo class,” said Samantha Way, yoga and PiYo instructor and Media Studies smajor at UW-Platteville. “The yoga class I teach tends to have more general public participants.”

Figures obtained from the budget office show the amount of money collected from miscellaneous rentals and fitness class punch cards for the 2013-2014 fiscal year was $12,648 and $8,948 for the 2014-2015 year.

“About three-fourths to 80 percent of the individuals using the PAC are students,” said Curt Fatzinger, Director of the Pioneer Activity Center.

Fatzinger estimates the facility has 4,000 to 5,000 uses a week with 100 of those people each day being student athletes.

“The facility is also used for intramural sports and by all athletic teams with about 150 students playing intramural sports each evening during the week,” said Fatzinger. “The busiest times are during the winter when everyone is tired of being inside and peak is from two weeks prior to spring break until it begins.”

An additional feature of the PAC is an area in the weight room designed for persons with disabilities.

“There is an elevator to the weight room that allows for plenty of disability access,” said Fatzinger. “People in wheelchairs also have access to the track and basketball courts as well as bikes for wheelchair persons.”

The PAC provides employment opportunities for students attending UW-Platteville.

“About 40 – 50 students are employed here each semester,” Fatzinger said. “Students are employed part-time and work in all areas of the facility.”

Figures from the university’s budget office indicate the annual payroll for student employment by the PAC for 2013-2014 was $93,841. The student payroll for the 2014-2015 year is at $77,548.

In 2010, the PAC was upgraded with improvements to the fitness facility including an expansion as well as new cardio equipment, flat screen televisions, training and free weights, storage, and a workout area. Information provided by Doug Stephens, Senior Campus Planner, indicates the total cost of the upgrades and the 20,900 square foot expansion to the facility totaled $5.36 million.

Additional plans for improvement are being considered.

“Four additional basketballs courts in the next three to four years, as well as a turf field for physical education classes, intramurals, club sports, and general public membership users have been discussed,” Fatzinger said.

Information supplied by Stephens indicates the next project, the Williams Fieldhouse Addition, Phase II, will be specifically funded by program revenue (non-allocated segregated student fees), which the student body supported through referendum on April 17-19, 2013. The campus anticipates that this project will move forward and be enumerated in the State’s 2015-2017 capital budget which is anticipated to go into effect July 1, 2015 or shortly thereafter.

Although rigorous planning has been done, the architectural and engineering design work for the expansion cannot be started before enumeration. The anticipated construction would begin in the Spring 2017 with the total anticipated cost of $15.27 million (program revenue-supported borrowing).

The initial plan for the Phase II expansion included 49,600 gross square feet located on the west side of Williams Fieldhouse. Four multi-purpose indoor athletic courts, expansion of the Wellness Center, athletic training facilities, lockers, showers and restroom, fitness and recreation opportunities and an outdoor multi-sport artificial turf field with lighting were included in the plan.

This plan is not absolute as timelines and the scope of the project can change over time. The Board of Regents approved the project in the early Fall 2014, but the state legislators and governor need to give it final approval.