Screams, cheers, high-fives and applause broke out at 7:06 p.m. Tuesday in the Peters Recreation Complex Rec Services office.

After more than one year of planning committees, meetings and Student Governing Association members meeting with constituents, the rec will receive its second expansion since its completion in 1980.

The referendum for expansion and renovation of the rec passed after a 12-hour online voting process Tuesday. Unofficial results reported that 72 percent of students who voted said "yes" to the referendum.

Sixty percent of voting students is required for a referendum to pass. Referendum results will become official today through the Office of Student Activities and Services.

Steve Martini, director of Recreational Services, said the "yes" vote is an exciting moment for K?State students whether they realize it or not.

"You may have voted 'yes' and thought it was a great idea, but it's an important legacy to leave," Martini said. "They have a lot to be proud of already. For someone who's been around this long, I do understand what this means, and it means a lot."

The referendum will be presented to the Kansas Board of Regents at a meeting Thursday morning. The referendum is expected to be included in the Regents information packet that is presented to the Kansas legislature during its spring session, said Matt Wagner, student body president and fifth-year student in management information systems.

The legislature must approve the funding proposals using student fees, Wagner said. Bids then will be sought for an architect, and the new rec expansion committee will provide feedback to the hired architect firm, he said.

"We'll continue to make sure that student voices are heard," Wagner said. "We'll take a look at the project now and continue to receive student input."

The Manhattan-based Ebert Mayo Design Group developed the proposed expansion's architectural renderings and floor plans. The group also worked on the rec's first expansion's architectural plans in 1991.

However, the designs only are concepts at this time and are not the final plans for the expansion, Wagner said. "They can be adapted and redefined at any time now," he said.

Students last voted "yes" to expand the rec in November 1991 with an 81 percent "yes" vote. However, in October 1990, the expansion vote did not pass with only 57 percent voting in favor.

The last referendum at K-State took place April 26, 2005, with 3,818 student votes. In comparison, 4,594 students voted Tuesday, and 5,244 students voted in the SGA general elections March 4-5, 2007.

Because voter apathy among K-State students has occurred in recent years, Wagner said he thought the "Vote Yes" logo helped increase the voter turnout.

"I'm amazed," Wagner said. "That's phenomenal for a referendum vote that stands alone."

A "yes" vote for the referendum supported the following: - Expansion of the rec complex to more than 150 percent of its original size upon its opening in 1980; - Establishing a $20 fee per student per semester for three years until 2011 that will increase to $40 per student per semester for 27 years; - Extending the current $22.50 student fee beyond 2013 (no additional fees); - Using $2.5 million in existing reserve funds

Additional student privilege fees will take effect in fall 2008. Construction on the project could begin in spring 2010 and be completed by late fall 2011.

Students' privilege fees can fluctuate based on the number of credit hours students enroll in and the total number of students at K-State, Wagner said.

A new committee now will form through Student Senate to look at different aspects of the approved expansion and renovation project, said Lydia Peele, student body vice president and senior in education-mathematics.

"Because there has been such a huge push from Rec Services and with privilege fees, I think it's important to keep all of it together," Peele said.

Peele, along with between 15-20 students, met weekly this semester as the Rec Promotions Committee and promoted the expansion proposal to campus organizations.

"So many people helped out in a more indirect way besides just being on a core promotions committee," she said. John Handke, sophomore in civil engineering, was one of 1,275 students who voted "no" Tuesday. Handke said he voted "no" because he does not use rec services often.

"In short, I'm not trying to stifle progress at all at the rec," he said. "I've only used it several times. The costs would be disproportionate to the use I'm getting out of it."

Despite his "no" vote, Handke said he thought the referendum would most likely pass. He also said he supports the proposal to let students use the expansion facilities if they paid fees but graduated before its completion.

"I think that seems like a fair thing to do for people who are paying into it and won't be able to use it before graduation," he said. "I support them doing that, and if I was ever in the area, I would stop by and use it."