LEWISTON — Bates College representatives are scheduled to appear before the city’s Planning Board on Monday seeking approval for a $45 million upgrade to the gymnasium and athletic facilities.

The plan, which has been in the works for nearly a decade, looks to double the available space in the Alumni Gymnasium and Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building, and follows a half-dozen incremental upgrades to athletic facilities since 2016.

The total cost of the upgrades is estimated at $45 million, with the college investing $14 million. It is seeking the additional money from alumni, parents and friends through fundraising.

In 2021, Bates invested $1 million in upgrades to three athletic facilities.

“We are moving ahead with the permitting process for this much-needed facility, but we are still in the fundraising phase of this project,” said Chris Streifel, Bates’ director of capital planning and construction.

Bates statistics show that 80% of the student body use fitness facilities on campus — including varsity and club athletics — and that the fitness spaces at Merrill Gymnasium and Underhill Arena are “maxed out,” seeing an average of 450 students using the fitness center daily.

The college has 31 varsity teams and 13 club teams and is part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

An online overview of the planned upgrades notes that prospective students who visit Bates expect to see well-designed and visually appealing fitness spaces, stating, “such facilities can drive home a college’s commitment to supporting athletic excellence and a student’s overall experience.”

It also acknowledges that other schools within NESCAC have already invested heavily in their athletic facilities.

The plan calls for a new 8,500-square-foot structure connecting the Alumni Gymnasium and Clifton Daggett Gray Athletic Building, which run along Central Avenue near the corner with Campus Avenue.

The fitness and well-being center will add new coaching and program spaces, in addition to new locker rooms.

The Lewiston Planning Board’s public hearing is scheduled for Monday starting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the first floor of City Hall at 27 Pine St.