The Student Recreation Fitness Center has not been open for much more than a year, but the staff is facing a leaky roof after rain and ice storms.

The recreation center’s roof has been leaking for about a year, Mary Chappell, director of the recreation center, said. The water is coming through one of the building’s 13 heating-and-air units, which are on the roof of the building. The worst leak appeared after the ice storm a month ago, Chappell said. An air conditioning unit froze and cracked, allowing water to seep inside the center.

The water has not leaked onto anything it could harm yet, Chappell said. The water is not on the hardwood floors; so far, it has been over the aerobic center and some areas patrons do not use.

“The leaks are not really a major factor,” Chappell said. “We’re going to take care of the problem before it gets out of hand.”

Contractors will often build penthouses, covered housings for air conditioning units, on the roofs of buildings. The new recreation center does not have a penthouse because the project did not have enough funding for the addition, Chappell said, and costs are hard to estimate because penthouses can be made out of many materials. Brick, concrete or metal can be used, and each comes with a specific cost.

Estimates had not yet been drafted for the cost of fixing the roof, Chappell said, but the University is going to look into fixing the problem shortly.

“I think if you’re going to spend students’ money you should get it done right,” Keri Wedel, Galva senior, said. “It’s kind of frustrating that they did not do it right.”

The University broke ground in April 2002, and the recreation center opened on Sept. 29, 2003. The center cost $17 million, and more money is needed to fix the roofs. The money for the project came entirely from student fees, and will be paid off in 15 years, Chappell said.