With the new year, University Recreation plans to improve the gym workout area with renovations this summer.

Tricia Losavio, director of UREC, said they plan to replace the two-decade-old floor and update the lighting in the workout area.

“Right now, only the free-weight area has a (mat) … and the rest of space has carpet. That carpet’s been there since the building opened back in 1998, so it’s almost 20 years old,” Losavio said.

She added that there have been regular updates to different parts of the Activity Center every year, such as with the check-in counter and equipment checkout locations, making the AC more accessible to students.

The new floors will be put in over the course of two weeks. Losavio said in order for students to have a place to work out while the AC is closed for renovation, Recreation Center West will expand their normal summer hours to the traditional hours of 7 a.m. to midnight.

Chenyang Hu is an accounting graduate student who uses the AC workout area regularly. Hu said the new floors would make it more comfortable for students to lie down on the floor for workout routines.

“A clean and shiny floor would definitely make my workout more easier and more comfortable,” Hu said.

Losavio said she expects the student community to welcome the upgrades when they walk into the AC in the fall semester.

“The current students, when they walk in … they’ll be appreciative. I think it’ll look a lot sleeker,” Losavio said.