Only one conclusion can be drawn about the newly-renovated Simon Recreation Center-it is a fabulous fitness free-for-all, and we can’t think of a better use for 40,000 square feet of a former parking garage.

One week has passed since the Rec Center’s grand re-opening. It’s still the topic on every student’s tongue-and for good reason.

The lower level, once a rarely-used multi-purpose room and underground parking garage, now bustles with the busy whir of elliptical machines and the resounding thump of Nikes on treadmills. Legions of sleek, gray machines-150 of them, to be precise-stand at attention, awaiting the steps of brave souls still pursuing their New Year’s resolutions. Pop music filters over the heads of straining weight-lifters and stationary joggers, who flick their gazes from flat-screen TV to flat-screen TV as they sweat off their Christmas fruitcakes.

But snazzy striped carpet and new classrooms aren’t the only features exciting students: Coming soon are multi-purpose rooms, a juice bar, a traversing wall, pingpong tables, a new circular entrance and plenty of cubby space. And this is just Phase I. The main and upper levels of the Rec Center will be renovated this spring and summer during Phase II.

So long, early ’80s-inspired rainbow d?cor. Hello, genuine exclusive fitness club swank.

Think also about how quickly the renovations proceeded. Dump trucks and heavy machinery started to congregate behind Fusz Hall as the weather began to cool, and our new and improved recreational premises opened before the end of January. Now that’s efficiency.

We are reaping splendid benefits from our morphing Rec Center. For example, we’ll never again have to sign up to use a machine. Plenty of free weights assure that those of us whose “guns” aren’t developed enough to expose to public scrutiny will still have a chance to improve, without being intimidated by the burly lifting regulars. And, technically, Rec Center membership is free to all part- and full-time students.

Of course, the new renovation isn’t completely cost-free. A $50 “recreation fee” has been tacked onto the total cost of a Saint Louis University education to help retire loans taken out for construction. If you think about it, though, that fee is nominal. Faculty and staff must pay $250 per year to exercise at the Rec. If you want to work out at the YMCA of Greater St. Louis, you’ll pay approximately $50 per month. You’ll pay upwards of $80 per month for a membership card at equally posh private fitness centers.

A gleam of perfection does seem to radiate from the Rec Center’s new Laclede-facing windows. As with anything that seems too good to be true, though, we must ask, “Is anything lacking in our recreational paradise?”

Yes, there is little organized space to hang coats or set bags. One student claims that the air-hockey table has too much friction. Another thinks the expansion was too ambitious, and that it will stand empty as commitment to fitness yields to lust for Valentine’s Day chocolate.

However, cubbies are reportedly on the way, and our facilities are sure to be used through midterms as spring break approaches. For a mid-sized, private university, our Rec Center isn’t half bad.

But just how did this much-needed and long-anticipated aerobic arena come to be? That’s the best story of all.

SLU’s Student Government Association has been debating Rec Center renovation for nigh on a decade. During the Spring, 2006 semester, SGA, under the Cari Johns administration, voted to begin construction. And now, less than a year later, SLU has something to show for that decision. This is exactly how student government should function: It should listen to student suggestions and respond to those suggestions in a timely, resourceful and responsible manner.

Great job, SGA, for articulating student needs. Great job, SLU department of design and construction, for overseeing such a high-quality facility. And great job, students, for showing up in full force to use that which was created for you.

Now, finish that low-cal flax seed bagel you’re eating and set down this paper; we’ll meet you at the amazing new Simon Recreation Center.