The Student Recreation Center rock climbing wall will be undergoing a renovation in the near future.

UAF has been soliciting sealed proposals to purchase a rock climbing wall for the SRC. So far five proposals have been received from contractors to build the new and improved rock wall, according to Mike Ruckhaus, a senior project manager with Facilities Services.

The renovation carries a projected budget of $100,000 to $120,000. The money for the rock wall renovations come from ASUAF, which gave $20,000 from its rollover fund, the Alaska Alpine Club, which donated an unspecified amount, and the SRC.

Ruckhaus declined to say who the proposals came from or what amounts the potential contractors proposed for privacy reasons. The winning contractor is responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of the new rock wall going up. UAF will be responsible for the installation of the rock wall with qualified UAF personnel or by a contractor.

According to Ruckhaus, reasons for renovating the rock wall are because of maintenance problems with the current rock wall as well as for functional upgrades. The last major renovation to the SRC's rock wall was the installation of the boulder cave about six years ago, said. The current rock wall is pretty much a "bare-bones" set up so they would like to upgrade the rock wall for its climbers, he said.

Avid climber and UAF senior Cullen Lester said the rock wall is in dire need of a change.

Lester said the initial idea for the renovation was thought up during a bouldering session about this time last year, by Richard Hallock, Blaine DeWalt, Peter Morris and himself.

"We all were discussing how good the wall could be and the fact that it hadn't been changed significantly since the addition of the bouldering cave some years ago," Lester said.

The new rock wall will be about 30 feet tall. If the full funding is obtained, it will be about 50 feet wide.

The horizontal dimension of the wall will eventually be determined by the amount of funding obtained as well.

"I think that it is a great idea, and would be much appreciated by many people on campus, because I can't tell you how many times I have heard the phrase: ‘I would go to the rock wall more if it weren't so boring'," Lester said. "I have been known to utter these words on several occasions as well.

More people in general would use the wall, he said.

"Also, it would be a major boom to SRC memberships if the wall were in better shape as I am willing to put money on the fact that more people in the community would go to the SRC over, say the Alaska Club, if the wall was in better shape and more up-to-date," Lester said.

ASUAF President Sven Gilkey said this new climbing wall will probably be a process to get done because they don't want to rush this project and settle for less than quality standards for the new rock wall that will be going up.