About three years ago, The Squamish Chief published a story about the benefits of creating fitness facilities at Brennan Park. What happened to that idea being considered at the district?
Benefits of the proposal included the obvious convenience of one-stop fitness centre for our fitness-conscious residents and income-generation for use in the district. On a snowy week like this one, I could have had a swim, hot tub and yoga class on one day and maybe a spin session another day. Right now I would have to pay about $160 a month if I want to keep up this kind of fitness regime. If Brennan Park upgraded facilities and charged half of that, I would be able to afford it, and the district would get an extra $50 per month from me.
That’s a sustainable win-win situation. As I see it, money could have been saved by users and the revenue from memberships – let’s say 500 users would want that kind of saving – at least $300,000 per year could have paid off $1 million in upgrades in just over three years.
If that had happened, the district would this year be earning money instead of the half-dozen private facilities that have opened to meet the demand. One new studio offering fitness classes saw hundreds of new participants in just a couple of months.
I’d like to be supporting this community rather than business owners who don’t even live here.
At Brennan Park Recreation Centre, I see two indoor exercise bikes and one cross-training machine in the pool area. This is not exactly a fitness centre where one could count on getting on a machine or into a fitness class for a workout. It seems a bit strange in a town filled with fitness-minded folks.
Meanwhile, I am struggling to figure out how I can afford to keep fit. I pay a monthly fee for tai chi, which I instruct as a volunteer but for which I am required to maintain a membership. Then I pay a fitness studio a monthly fee for a spin class to lose my extra belly fat, which I accumulated due to a toe disability that prevents me from walking, skiing or running long distances. Wait a minute! This is costing almost a third of my rent, and I have no savings.
If there were fitness facilities at our recreation centre, then maybe I could get what I need to stay fit, happy and contributing as an active resident who pays taxes to the district, buys locally and serves Squamish with my mobile massage business. That’s my opinion, and I wonder what other residents think.
Heather Donaldson
Squamish
