Changes at fitness centers bring options

Changes at fitness centers bring options

By Administrator Friday, 09 January 2009

Several fitness centers catering to families in Round Rock and Pflugerville have big plans — one is expanding and adding an indoor pool, another is looking at other options in the community after closing last month, and a new center is expected to break ground by the end of March.

The Round Rock branch of the Greater Williamson County YMCA has a new name and is in the process of getting a new face. The facility was recently renamed the Chasco Family YMCA because of Chasco Constructors’ contributions toward an expansion that includes a $6 million indoor aquatic venue and a new gymnasium.

The Raab Family Natatorium is the first of its kind in Round Rock and brings the community another year-round aquatics option. It joins the University of Texas’ Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center and Cedar Park’s Nitro Swim Center to total three competitive swimming centers in the Austin area.

The YMCA, which is responsible for all operations, maintenance and management of the Round Rock center, provided the land and raised $4 million to help pay for the natatorium — named for the Raab family who made the initial donation for the facility. In the summer of 2007, the Round Rock City Council also approved $2 million in certificates of obligation toward the construction costs for the eight-lane lap pool.

Seton Medical Center Williamson also saw a good opportunity at the aquatics center and contributed $100,000 to help build a warm-water therapy pool for patients to use in their rehabilitation.

The Stony Point High School swim team and Lone Star Aquatics team are scheduled to use the lap pool for training weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., respectively.

“There are some avid swimmers who use [swimming] as their fitness component year-round,” said Sheri Yerrington, Chasco Family YMCA branch executive. “Really, outside of [the] Clay Madsen [Recreation Center], there was not a fitness component in Round Rock that gave them that opportunity to swimyear-round and to get their fitness in by lap-swimming.”

Pflugerville YMCA woes

On Dec. 31, the Pflugerville branch of the YMCA of Austin closed permanently. Mark Olmstead, executive director of the Northwest Family and Pflugerville YMCA of Austin branches, said that due to low membership numbers and poor initial planning, the YMCA of Austin Board of Directors decided to close the Pflugerville location.

Olmstead said that when the center opened in 2000, the wrong model was used, which promoted fitness over families. The small size of the facility also created challenges in development, he said.

Before voters defeated Proposition 2 for a new recreation center in the May 2008 election, the City of Pflugerville and the YMCA of Austin held preliminary discussions about partnering to build a community recreation center. Despite the decision to close the Pflugerville branch, Olmstead said he is still optimistic about prospective YMCA programs in the community.

“There is a future in Pflugerville,” Olmstead said. “We are still wanting to look for opportunities to develop a facility in that community. We are still going to continue to look to build programs in the community. It just won’t be based out of that facility.”

Pflugerville City Councilman Mike Marsh said that discussions after the defeat of Proposition 2 were focused on what percentage of the city’s population actually uses the Pflugerville Recreation Center.

“I would much rather see the private sector provide recreational facilities … and then let those people who would choose to support it pay for a membership, as opposed to having the general population pay for it,” Marsh said.

Glenn Holzer, Pflugerville Parks and Recreation director, said the recreation center remains busy and program rooms are booked from open to close. There is demand for more classes and programs, but he said the lack of space limits what can be offered. The recreation center has 4,120 registered members at a facility with a 1,000-person capacity.

West side recreation center

Preliminary design work for the proposed recreation center on the west side of Round Rock, approved by voters in a 2001 bond election, is being finalized. The city is considering building a 25,000 to 35,000 sq. ft. facility, but Rick Atkins, director of Round Rock parks and recreation, said the size of the new center will depend on how the project is bid and cost estimates. Atkins said he hopes to break ground on the facility later this year.

“Hopefully we will see some significant construction in ’09 so that we can get this thing open to the public,” Atkins said.

An interlocal agreement between the city and Round Rock Independent School District to provide land for the facility is also being finalized. The site for the new west-side recreation center is across from Round Rock High School off Deepwood Drive, which Atkins said will benefit the new center because of its proximity to the Micki Kresbach Pool.

“People really wanted to have some type of water element at the new center,” Atkins said. “That’s why being adjacent to that pool is going to help us out with that being a heated pool.”

An exercise in economics

Aerofit health and fitness club, which is planned for the 7.2-acre tract behind Dairy Queen near the intersection of Heatherwilde Boulevard and Pecan Street in Pflugerville, has been delayed because of the economy, said resident Clint Chandler, who is developing the land with his business partner, Ramiro Galindo.

“We’re proceeding forward,” he said. “We’re having to come to the table with a lot more money because of the new lending requirements that are out there, so we’ve had to raise more capital.”

Chandler said that since 2004 he has been collaborating with the landowner of the 30-acre tract adjacent to the land where Chandler and Galindo hope to build Aerofit. That mixed-use, New Urban development is called PACANA and could include Aerofit and feature complementary businesses nearby.

Among features planned for Aerofit is a 25-meter, eight-lane indoor swimming pool. Aerofit’s indoor facility would be the first of its kind in Pflugerville. The two parties are closer than they have been in four years to making the development a reality, Chandler said, adding that he hopes to break ground in the first quarter of the year.