ORONO – Watching students scale a concrete cliff in the new Maine Bound Adventure Center, it’s hard to believe that only a few years ago, this circa 1910 barn at the center of the University of Maine campus was home to hundreds of chickens.

On Friday, the $650,000 Adventure Center will hold a grand opening ceremony, unveiling to the public its centerpiece – a 32-foot-high climbing tower.

The renovation has taken four years, but with the climbing tower in place and construction expected to be completed in a matter of weeks, administrators are bubbling over with praise for the center and its possibilities.

“We’re just thrilled to death. It’s a remarkable asset to this campus,” Robert Dana, senior associate dean for students, said Tuesday.

Beginning this week, the center will be available for use by students studying such topics as physical education and parks and recreation, as well as by students and community members just looking to unwind.

“This is going to be the place where the community can come together,” Dana said.

The dean called the new center a beacon, a term that no one would have applied to the tiny office in the basement of the Memorial Union where the university’s outdoor recreation programs have been based in recent years.

The Maine Bound recreation program is nearing 20 years old. It has not been among UMaine’s best-known assets, however.

Beginning Friday, the highly visible Adventure Center and the Maine Bound program will be one and the same, Paul Stern, outdoor program manager for Maine Bound, said Tuesday.

“That’s our new day,” Stern said. “We are here for all of the 10,000 students on this campus.”

Maine Bound organizes camping and hiking trips for UMaine students, as well as providing noncredit courses in everything from wilderness medicine to scuba diving.

The organization, which is within the university’s recreation programs department, under the Center for Students and Community Life, also rents out tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of outdoor equipment, ranging from sleeping bags to canoes.

But the $100,000 climbing tower and boulder wall, which together provide more than 5,800 square feet of climbing space, are the stars of the new Adventure Center.

“It’s not like climbing outside, but it does provide a place for students to come when it’s raining, or snowing or black fly season,” Stern said. “It’s good, clean, safe recreation.”

Only the Maine Rock Gym in Portland provides a comparable experience for local climbers, Peter Buechner, a graduate student and climbing enthusiast, said Tuesday.

The Adventure Center’s climbing areas are constructed of a state-of-the-art concrete that echoes the color and texture of the granite cliffs at Acadia National Park.

The climbing tower offers vertical stretches that can challenge experienced climbers, while the lower boulder wall offers novices an opportunity to sample the sport.

“We want to make it accessible to everyone,” Buechner said. “You can approach it from a fitness perspective – it’s a great full-body workout. Plus it’s got a sort of problem-solving aspect – it’s a mental challenge.”

Jackie Martin, a junior from South Paris, was among the first students to try out the climbing facility during a Tuesday kinesiology class.

“It was definitely a challenge,” said the novice climber, after scrambling to the top of the wall.

Once word-of-mouth begins to spread, students will be clamoring to use the new facility, Martin said.

“Especially during finals week, I think it will be a great stress reliever,” she said. “Even if you get a little bit further than you did last time, it’s such a sense of accomplishment.”

The Adventure Center’s grand opening will be at 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 12. Beginning Friday, the climbing areas will be open to the pubic from 3 to 9 p.m. every day.

Climbing will be free for full-time UMaine students through the end of the semester. Community members will be charged $10 for a day pass. All equipment is available to rent.

For more information, contact Maine Bound at 581-1794.