Mount Saint Mary College recently received a grant of more than $2 million from New York State’s Higher Education Capital (HECap) program for renovations to the college’s Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center.

Under this program, New York State will contribute one dollar of support for every three dollars spent by the Mount, for a total of $2,042,688 in grant aid.

The renovations will improve the existing athletic facilities on campus, including expanding the strength and conditioning, cardio and functional training rooms; updating mechanical equipment; purchasing new exercise equipment and furnishings; creating additional locker rooms for the more than 20 Division III Mount teams; renovating the existing locker rooms with new lockers and flooring; replacing the swimming pool filtration system with a new fiberglass tank system; replacing the existing gym floor; and updating the gym bleachers. These improvements are slated to be completed in 2025.

“This project will open up plenty of wonderful new opportunities for our 300-plus, hardworking student athletes,” said Fr. Greg Fluet, Interim President of Mount Saint Mary College. “Our students have often told me that athletics have helped them become experts in time management and better students overall. And of course, we want to thank the Kaplan family for their generosity in helping us build the existing Kaplan Recreation Center. None of this would have been possible without them.”

The facilities constructed or updated through the HECap grant program are intended to aid their communities, and the Kaplan Recreation Center is no exception. The center serves not only Mount students, faculty and staff but also local high schools and other community groups, bringing hundreds of families to the Mount campus each year.

“These renovations will improve program offerings and student life by transforming the Kaplan Recreation Center to meet the needs of the current and future college community,” said Drew Brown, director of Athletics at the Mount. “Through offering additional athletic programs, in modern, state-of-the-art facilities, Mount Saint Mary College is committing to enhancing student life and serving the surrounding community.”

The funds were awarded at the September 27 meeting of the HECap Board. Since HECap’s inception in 2005, State of New York has awarded more than $336 million in funding to 274 projects at colleges and universities across New York State.