Mount Mercy to add buildings to athletic complex

CEDAR RAPIDS - Two buildings that formerly housed operations of Terex Cedar Rapids will expand Mount Mercy University's new Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex.

The university purchased the Barry K. Wendt building and a neighboring warehouse at 909 17th St. NE. The acquisition was funded by a substantial financial gift from John Rinderknecht, president of Ram Development Co. of Cedar Rapids and a Mount Mercy trustee.

The buildings will be converted into the Rinderknecht Athletic Center, which will house athletic coaches' offices, weight-training facilities and meeting space for teams and staff.

Paul Gavin, Mount Mercy director of athletics, said the center will improve the college's ability to serve its coaches and 425 student athletes, the largest number in its 89-year history.

'We have coaches all over campus, which is not the easiest in terms of managing folks,” Gavin said. 'We have an original weight room from 1985 when the Hennessey Recreation Center was built.

'Our dreams and wishes have included a state-of-the-art weight-training facility that can handle our increasing number of student athletes.”

Gavin said conversion of the new buildings likely will begin later this year and take several years to complete. He said college representatives will need to decide what takes priority in terms of the renovations that will required.

The $16 million Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex is slated for completion in August. It will be home to men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track and field, baseball, and softball - six of the university's 17 intercollegiate athletic teams.

The 22-acre outdoor complex also will make additional community outreach efforts possible, including Mount Mercy's JumpStart program, which will collaborate with local social service agencies and neighborhood organizations to provide activities for area youth.