President Alexander Gonzalez reached his goal of raising more than $25 million to begin the first phase of the Recreation, Wellness, Events Center and Sports Complex, announced Associated Students, Inc. President Angel Barajas today at the ASI logo unveiling.

“It is a project that will bring new vitality to campus life,” Barajas said.

The cost of the entire project is estimated around $120 million, which includes a new field house along with the Recreation and Wellness Center and a separate 6,000- to 8,000-seat arena.

Nearly 5,000 students, 55.2 percent, approved a $110 a semester fee increase in April 2004 to kick in after President Alexander Gonzalez raised $25 million.

The arena, which was initially a part of the recreation center, along with renovations to the stadium, will be put on hold until the university can secure more funding.

The funding for the massive project has come from various sources, including $10 million from Alex G. Spanos, $2 million from Eli and Edythe L. Broad Foundation and now $12 million from a long-term contract with Pepsi Bottling Group.

Barajas announced the Pepsi contract, the largest and most recent funding source, after Gonzalez called Sac State a “Pepsi campus” in the opening remarks.

The first phase will include a new field house, titled the Broad Athletic Facility, with the ground breaking expected by the fall to be completed by late 2007.

The biggest piece of the project ?” the Recreation and Wellness Center ?” is planned to begin in late 2007, according to a press release. The $50 million facility could be completed by June of 2009.

The recreation center will include a fitness center, athletic courts, rock-climbing walls and other amenities, but the programming and design are still in the works.

Johnna Magee, a senior mathematics major, worked on the RWEC student advisory committee.

“It’s great,” Magee said of Gonzalez reaching the fundraising goal. “It’s really exciting.”

The architect is Ellerbe Becket, which has a partnership firm in San Francisco and has built various sports buildings ?” including Charlotte Arena for the NBA Bobcats in Charlotte, N.C., the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., for the NBA Memphis Grizzlies, and Gonzaga University’s McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.

Nate Miller contributed to this report

Gamaliel Ortiz can be reached at [email protected]