Giles updates GSB about State Gym renovation

Paige Godden

Recreation Services Director Mike Giles updated the Government of the Student Body about the State Gym renovation Wednesday night.

“Zinc is holding up the construction. It’s on a very slow boat coming from France,” Giles said.

He said the contractor can’t get the zinc for State Gym, so the building can’t be enclosed. He said the credit of $81.95 is expected to be returned to students in September because the Board of Regents has to approve it before it’s given to students.

Recreation Services believes it’s important to give the money back to students because students won’t have access to the facility.

He said the credit refund won’t affect the budget of the project.

Giles said he isn’t sure what will happen between the university and the State Gym contractor.

“It costs a lot of money to get someone to owe you money,” Giles said. “I’m not going to reimbursed. The contractor isn’t going to reimburse me $4.5 million we lost in student fees.”

GSB also discussed a budget shortfall CyRide is dealing with.

Due to high gas prices and an unstable economy, CyRide is facing debt between $150,000 to $250,000, said Anna Fox, a CyRide Board member.

She said CyRide was able to cut $80,000 of internal expenses and has a trust of $1.2 million.

A CyRide meeting discussing the budget will be held at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1.

Fox said a bus-tracking system CyRide is trying to implement might have to be cut to deal with the budget shortfall, but there are other options the board is looking at.

The discussion on CyRide will continue next week because the senate didn’t reach a consensus on how it would like to solve the debt problems.

The senate will also be voting on allocating $1,000 to the Fredireksen Court Council to fund the Beat Iowa Bash and $4,092.31 to MATES for an It Takes Two to Tango event.