By SHANNON O. WELLS

Anecdotally at least, Level 4 of Pitt’s new, nine-story Recreation and Wellness Center attracts fitness-focused patrons as much for its high-profile location as its wide array of strength and cardio equipment.

“The most heavily utilized fitness area has been Level 4,” noted Chris Marks, executive director of campus recreation. “Staff often joke that its popularity is helped by (that) it’s the first fitness space students encounter after entering … rom the Level 5 entrance.”

Other popular hubs in the O’Hara Street building include Level 3, which features “sectorized strength equipment and a functional turf training zone,” and Level 7, which has fitness equipment situated alongside “some of the best connectivity and views in the facility,” he said.

After several months of operation — and steadily increasing use from Pitt students and in employee memberships — Marks reflected on what’s gone well at the Rec and Wellness Center along with tweaks being made in anticipation of the 2026-27 academic year.

“The opening of the Recreation & Wellness Center has gone exceptionally smoothly,” he said, which he called a “direct result of the thoughtful planning and execution by the team. Both our professional and student staff have been outstanding this year, demonstrating not only strong preparation in planning operations and programming across the facility, but also a remarkable ability to adapt and respond to unexpected challenges in real time.”

The center, which officially opened last September, is now what he called “fully operational, with only a few finishing touches underway this summer.”

Despite ongoing work at the adjacent Arena and Sports Performance Center at Victory Heights, the facility’s Level 5 hillside entrance is complete. The overall hillside project includes enhancements to the landscape directly behind the Rec and Wellness Center, along with new pedestrian pathways “designed to strengthen connectivity between upper and lower campus.”

The improvements, including directional signage being installed throughout the facility to enhance navigation and a dedicated wayfinding kiosk to help students locate available fitness and recreation spaces, are expected to be finished before the fall term begins, Marks said.

So far, the Rec and Wellness Center’s 49-feet-high climbing wall and the aquatics center have seen the most remarkable increases in use compared to the former climbing wall at Trees Hall and campus indoor pools in 2024-25.

“The climbing wall, which supports both top-rope climbing and bouldering, saw participation grow from 5,281 visits in 2024-25 to 20,852 (in 2025-26),” he said.

The aquatic center — featuring six lap lanes, a recreational swimming section for pool volleyball and basketball, and a hot tub — experienced an increase from 4,133 to 10,796 users over the same period compared to pools at Trees and Bellefield halls, he noted.

“These substantial gains reflect not only growing student interest, but also the impact of relocating both amenities to a more centralized and visible location,” he said, “making them more inviting and convenient for the campus community.

“Having both amenities in one visible location allows students who may have otherwise not sought out those amenities to be exposed to them.”

Since last summer, the Trees pool and fitness center have been reserved for use solely by Pitt Athletics and community organizations, with faculty and staff excluded. The aging Bellefield Hall pool closed permanently.

With advanced technology features integrated throughout the facility designed “to enhance the user experience,” Marks said when technical issues arise, “our team has consistently demonstrated flexibility and problem-solving skills, quickly pivoting to ensure that programming, services and engagement opportunities continue without disruption.”

Faculty and staff members

Since they became available in November, Marks said the number of faculty and staff memberships has grown “significantly,” from 117 last fall to 311 this spring. Membership purchases are available for eligible employees, which does not include staff represented by the United Steelworkers and All-Temps employees.

The increase demonstrates “strong and growing interest” from employees, he noted. “There remains ample capacity for additional faculty and staff to take advantage of (Rec and Wellness Center) membership opportunities to support their physical activity and well-being.”

Pitt employees who earn less than $50,000 annually, or the hourly equivalent, pay $35 for a monthly membership, while the cost for employees earning $50,000 or more is $45 per month. Postdoctoral associates and scholars have the same facility access as other eligible employees. Emeritus faculty can purchase a Rec and Wellness Center membership for $35 a month. 

Membership provides employees access to five floors of strength, cardio and functional-training fitness equipment; the aquatic center; six sports courts for basketball, volleyball, badminton, pickleball and futsal; and a three-lane track. They also can check out equipment for the sports courts and access a fitness app to track their wellness progress.

As the center was intentionally designed to accommodate the University’s future growth, Marks said it “exceeds national standards for fitness space relative to student enrollment.”

Faculty and staff utilize the same spaces and hours as students. “While there are no dedicated facilities exclusively for faculty and staff, the (rec center) offers inclusive and flexible options, including gender-neutral changing areas, showers and restrooms, in addition to traditional-gendered locker rooms,” Marks said.

During the 2025-26 academic year, the facility’s busiest time of day was 5 to 8 p.m., Marks said, noting that traffic starts to increase around 3 p.m. and subsides after 9 p.m. “Monday through Wednesday were similar in activity, and access declined slightly on Thursday and Friday.”

General building hours this summer are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For pool, climbing wall, outdoor rental center, e-sports and other hours, visit the Campus Recreation website.

As far as new programs and classes coming online this fall, Marks said the Campus Recreation team is working to “build on the lessons learned from the current year and make small adjustments to better serve the students and members.”

‘Outstanding facility’

Student feedback on the facility thus far has been what he called “overwhelmingly positive.”

“We remain committed to listening and responding to student input,” he said, including “working closely” with students and the Student Government Board to gather feedback. “We continue to make adjustments and implement changes where appropriate to enhance the student experience.”

Marks, who brought 25 years of campus recreation and student affairs experience when he came to Pitt in April 2025, said while he can’t take credit for its original design and layout, the Recreation and Wellness Center is “truly is an outstanding facility.”

“Given the site constraints, the design team built vertically, creating multiple floors rather than a single large space, which is more typical of many recreation and fitness centers,” he noted.

The approach allowed for development of 10 distinct activity zones and seven dedicated studios, each catering to different types of workouts and user preferences. “As a result, students can move fluidly throughout the facility or gravitate toward a specific area that best meets their needs.”

He cited the inclusion of Pitt Wellness partners within the facility as another key strength.

“Having University Counseling Center staff and the Health Promotion team on-site enhances collaboration and allows them to build on the strong existing partnership with Campus Recreation,” Marks said. “This proximity creates more opportunities for integrated programming and a more holistic approach to student well-being.”

After completing almost a full year of Rec and Wellness Center operations, Marks said it’s “rewarding to be fully settled into the (center) and to draw upon that experience in both programming and facility management.

“The initial uncertainties that come with launching a new facility have been significantly reduced, which positions the team well and should help alleviate stress as we move into our second year.”

Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.

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