Los Medanos College is in the final schematic design phase on a new athletics center that will break ground in 2017 near parking lot B.

The new athletics center is set to be a big update over the current gym and portable facilities.

“It will be a night and day comparison. We will have the best athletic facilities within our district,” said LMC Vice President Kevin Horan.

The new center is long overdue. Horan explained that LMC’s current facilities have not changed since the college opened in 1974, more than 40 years ago.

“I am most looking forward to having faculty, students and student athletes being able to take pride in their facilities for the PE and athletics programs,” said Horan. “The facilities will match the quality of the programs being currently offered.”

LMC baseball head coach Anthony D’Albora explained that the new athletics center will feature up-to-date versions of current facilities and classrooms, “but in bigger and more functional spaces. The most important thing I think everyone can expect from the new building is a more cohesive athletics space.”

D’Albora said the physical education and athletics programs are looking forward to the new weight and locker rooms.

“Anything new is just about always a better and more exciting option, but more than that to have a new weight room space where our athletes can be more dynamic and explosive in how they train every day is going to help us to advance physically by leaps and bounds,” he said. “Team locker rooms will be a big piece of all the teams on campus having a safe and shared space to continue developing the relationships and culture it takes to be great on and off the field.”

According to Horan in an All College Day presentation Aug. 14, in addition to larger locker room areas “to allow for the overlap of seasons,” current planning calls for each sport to have its own team room. He continued with, “The locker rooms have been designed to accommodate all of our current athletics programs and allow for growth in new programs.”

Of course, new athletic buildings do not get built for cheap.

“The college has budgeted over $60 million to fund the combined project of the PE Complex and Student Union project,” said Horan.