The University of Kentucky’s Alumni Gym Fitness Center is temporarily closed due to flood-related damage, according to Mark Lattin, executive director for campus recreation.

Lattin said after “torrential rainfall” on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the system meant to handle stormwater runoff failed, causing a “significant” amount of water to pour onto the gym’s first floor. 

“The system that’s designed to handle stormwater runoff backed up,” Lattin said. “Alumni Gym, being the lowest point in that area, water began to flow, rather than out of Alumni Gym drains, in through Alumni Gym drains, and so we had a significant amount of water pouring into the first floor of the facility.”

Since the second floor of the Alumni Gym Fitness Center was unaffected, Lattin said he hoped for a partial reopening of just the second floor on Oct. 20.

The first floor, which houses amenities such as studio spaces and fitness labs, will require a more invasive restoration process, which is expected to take around 10 weeks, according to Lattin. 

“All of the flooring on the first floor of the building has to come out and be replaced. Anything that’s not concrete or tile would have to be replaced,” Lattin said. “Even some of the material along the base of the walls, so it’s a very invasive repair process.”

When the second floor reopens, Lattin said people will still be able to enter through the first floor main entrance, as the passageway will be steam-cleaned and disinfected, and areas being restored will be barricaded.

While repairs are underway, Lattin said other campus recreation resources, such as the Bernard Johnson Student Recreation Center, remain available to the campus community.

“Service is a real concern, and it’s a priority for us to reopen, at least partially, to restore service as quickly as we can,” Lattin said.