$57M Athletic Center Under Construction

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ-Work is officially under way for a new 152,400-sf activity center on the campus of the 6,000-student Monmouth University here. Carrying a price tag of $57 million, the Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC), as it is named for now, is expected to be ready for use in two years.

“We want it to be the centerpiece of the campus,” said university president Paul Gaffney at this weekend’s formal groundbreaking. “The facility fits the notion of overall wellness.”

Personal fitness facilities are part of the complex’s mission. The centerpiece, however, will be a new 4,100-seat sports arena, which will replace the aging Boylan Gymnasium as the home of the school’s basketball and other teams. It will be physically connected to the old gym, which will be converted to intramural sports and community use. The site is also adjacent to Kessler Field, the school’s football stadium.