The White Building is only using one-third of its space to hold exercise equipment because of pressure from off-campus gyms, university officials said yesterday.

After announcing the opening of the White Building, a number of local entrepreneurs approached university officials with concerns. Many of them feared that this new addition to the university fitness system would take away business from their gyms, said Bill Asbury, vice president of student affairs.

"We're good neighbors and good citizens, and we do not railroad local businesses just because we can," he said.

The university originally planned to use 15,000 square feet for equipment but cut it down to 5,000 square feet.

"As we designed the layout we assured them (local fitness centers) we'd open space at 5,000 square feet for equipment," Asbury said.

Asbury is waiting to see how big the demand is for use of the building.

"As we see the demand rise there would be an assessment on a regular basis should there be a need to expand," Asbury said.

He added in "some point in time" there could be a possibility that all the space would be utilized.

There was no "official agreement" with the local gyms but their concerns were taken into account when deciding how much space to allot in the White Building for equipment, said Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley.

"When making plans for the new facility, there were discussions as to whether we were taking away from the businesses," Curley said.

He added while local businesses' complaints did have an impact, so did the amount of funds in which the university had to work.

"Both actors (funds and local health club concerns) were put into the plan," he said. "We wanted to walk before we run."

The university also had discussions about the facility with the community.

"We listened to their concerns and responded to them in a reasonable manner," Curley said.

The university wants to see the "impact" the facility has "across the board," he said.

The 5,000 square feet space will be filled to capacity, said Assistant Athletic Director Herb Schmidt.

"There is more equipment arriving," he said, adding there will still be space that is unused, referring to the other 10,000 square feet of space.

"There will be a lot of empty space," Schmidt said.

If more space was available for use, students could expect more equipment, said Chip Harrison, head strength and conditioning coach.

"If we were allotted more space to use then there would be a possibility for more equipment," he said.

But Harrison said the White Building is using the space allowed as fully as possible.

"I was told the square footage we were allowed to occupy and it's as complete as we're allowed to be," he said.

Students can expect that there will be some more equipment on the way, but they can also expect empty space, Harrison said.