Latest news with #PowerWellness
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fees for New London rec center will give breaks to residents, needy families
New London — The City Council on Monday will discuss and possibly approve membership fees for the new recreation/community center that will offer price breaks to residents and low-income families. The draft rates are broken down by resident and non-resident status, as well as by age. For example, a New London resident between the ages of 23-60 — the demographic most expected to use the $40 million facility on the Fort Trumbull peninsula — will pay $45 a month compared to a non-resident fee of $57. Other membership rates cover children younger than 18 ($20 for residents, $27 for non-resident); young adults ($25, $32); seniors ($40, $52); and a household package ($100, $125). City and school district employees would pay $36 a month under the proposal. Early enrollees will not be charged one-time initiation fees that range from $10 to $65, depending upon age and residency. The fees were set by the Power Wellness firm, which was hired to oversee the center, after conversations with city recreation and other department heads, Felix Reyes, the city's director of planning and economic development, said Wednesday. Reyes said membership rates, which he said are about 20% lower than comparable offerings in the area, are largely based on two overriding concerns: Making the center self-sustaining ahead of its third year of operation and ensuring all residents — regardless of their financial situation — can use the facility. Price breaks Reyes said the decision to give residents a price break was done out of a sense of fairness. 'The taxpayers are already funding the center's construction, and we wanted to give them a favorable rate,' he said. 'Our other intent was to prioritize access, especially for those families in financial hardship.' The city will also create a scholarship fund, similar to one currently used to subsidize recreation department programming, that will cut membership rates in half for eligible families. 'How can we afford to do that? By appealing to corporations and small businesses for sponsorships,' Reyes said, adding scholarship eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Recreation Director Joshua Posey said currently families who can't afford the full fee for recreation programming, such as summer camp, can fill out an assistance form similar to the one the new center will use. 'We do ask for some forms of income, but those families can get up to 50% off the cost of a program,' he said. 'And there's been times when that's still not enough and we'll work to give a bit more off.' Posey said on average 60 families a year qualify for some level of financial assistance, with about 90% qualifying for the half-off fee. 'I'd say the majority are single-parent households with two or more kids,' he said. In Monday letter to the council, Reyes explained why New Londoners, as residents of a distressed city, aren't getting free access. 'It is crucial to recognize that affordability does not mean the absence of a cost structure,' he wrote. 'Community memberships are essential for maintaining our facility, enhancing financial sustainability and fostering engagement among residents.' Membership goals and getting there Power Wellness has set a membership goal of signing up 1,400 non-discounted members before the center opens, with an estimated 5,000 total members needed to keep it financially stable. The center is expected to generate additional revenue by renting out conference rooms, its gym and other spaces, as well as by providing personal training, swim lessons and other programming. The facility, which will house a two-court gym, fitness center and eight-lane pool, along with office and community space, is scheduled to host an opening ceremony before July 4 and fully open to the public later that month. The city's recreation department will also have offices inside the new center and will run some of its programming from the site. The majority of construction is set to be complete in April, the same month Power Wellness is slated to roll out its on-line membership link. In-person enrollment will be available inside the Chamber of Commerce's Regional Innovation Center on Eugene O'Neill Drive in mid-April. Reyes said his office has worked out an agreement with the Southeastern Connecticut Transit District to add a new bus stop near the recreation center. He said the city's SmartRide system, a public ride-hailing option, is also available to visitors seeking to get to the center. 'We're also talking with the school administration about buses taking students to the center after school,' he said. 'One of the biggest asks we get is about having a place for kids to go while their parents work. The recreation department plans to have after-school programming, including homework and mentorship areas and open play.' The City Council will meet at 7 p.m., Monday at City Hall.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fees for New London rec center will give breaks to residents, needy families
New London — The City Council on Monday will discuss and possibly approve membership fees for the new recreation/community center that will offer price breaks to residents and low-income families. The draft rates are broken down by resident and non-resident status, as well as by age. For example, a New London resident between the ages of 23-60 — the demographic most expected to use the $40 million facility on the Fort Trumbull peninsula — will pay $45 a month compared to a non-resident fee of $57. Other membership rates cover children younger than 18 ($20 for residents, $27 for non-resident); young adults ($25, $32); seniors ($40, $52); and a household package ($100, $125). City and school district employees would pay $36 a month under the proposal. Early enrollees will not be charged one-time initiation fees that range from $10 to $65, depending upon age and residency. The fees were set by the Power Wellness firm, which was hired to oversee the center, after conversations with city recreation and other department heads, Felix Reyes, the city's director of planning and economic development, said Wednesday. Reyes said membership rates, which he said are about 20% lower than comparable offerings in the area, are largely based on two overriding concerns: Making the center self-sustaining ahead of its third year of operation and ensuring all residents — regardless of their financial situation — can use the facility. Price breaks Reyes said the decision to give residents a price break was done out of a sense of fairness. 'The taxpayers are already funding the center's construction, and we wanted to give them a favorable rate,' he said. 'Our other intent was to prioritize access, especially for those families in financial hardship.' The city will also create a scholarship fund, similar to one currently used to subsidize recreation department programming, that will cut membership rates in half for eligible families. 'How can we afford to do that? By appealing to corporations and small businesses for sponsorships,' Reyes said, adding scholarship eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Recreation Director Joshua Posey said currently families who can't afford the full fee for recreation programming, such as summer camp, can fill out an assistance form similar to the one the new center will use. 'We do ask for some forms of income, but those families can get up to 50% off the cost of a program,' he said. 'And there's been times when that's still not enough and we'll work to give a bit more off.' Posey said on average 60 families a year qualify for some level of financial assistance, with about 90% qualifying for the half-off fee. 'I'd say the majority are single-parent households with two or more kids,' he said. In Monday letter to the council, Reyes explained why New Londoners, as residents of a distressed city, aren't getting free access. 'It is crucial to recognize that affordability does not mean the absence of a cost structure,' he wrote. 'Community memberships are essential for maintaining our facility, enhancing financial sustainability and fostering engagement among residents.' Membership goals and getting there Power Wellness has set a membership goal of signing up 1,400 non-discounted members before the center opens, with an estimated 5,000 total members needed to keep it financially stable. The center is expected to generate additional revenue by renting out conference rooms, its gym and other spaces, as well as by providing personal training, swim lessons and other programming. The facility, which will house a two-court gym, fitness center and eight-lane pool, along with office and community space, is scheduled to host an opening ceremony before July 4 and fully open to the public later that month. The city's recreation department will also have offices inside the new center and will run some of its programming from the site. The majority of construction is set to be complete in April, the same month Power Wellness is slated to roll out its on-line membership link. In-person enrollment will be available inside the Chamber of Commerce's Regional Innovation Center on Eugene O'Neill Drive in mid-April. Reyes said his office has worked out an agreement with the Southeastern Connecticut Transit District to add a new bus stop near the recreation center. He said the city's SmartRide system, a public ride-hailing option, is also available to visitors seeking to get to the center. 'We're also talking with the school administration about buses taking students to the center after school,' he said. 'One of the biggest asks we get is about having a place for kids to go while their parents work. The recreation department plans to have after-school programming, including homework and mentorship areas and open play.' The City Council will meet at 7 p.m., Monday at City Hall.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Details released about New London recreation center workout equipment
New London — With less than five months to go before the city's new recreation and community center opens in July, plans for gym equipment, programming and enrollments are accelerating. Construction of the $40 million, 57,000-square-foot facility on the Fort Trumbull peninsula is set to be substantially complete by April 30 with operators moving in by mid-May, Felix Reyes, the city's director of planning and development, said Friday. 'We'll be adding in all the IT and security components and expect to begin tours in May and June,' Reyes said. 'Before that, in March, the City Council will meet to approve enrollment fees.' The council last month selected the Power Wellness group to run the facility. Power Wellness leaders laid out a six-month timeline ahead of a June's soft opening that calls for hiring key managers — including a bilingual center director — creating programs and setting dues and membership prices. Membership costs and annual operational budgets will be worked out between Power Wellness and city officials using a template similar to one used to set admission prices and run Ocean Beach Park. Reyes said the Chamber of Commerce's Regional Innovation Center on Eugene O'Neill Drive will serve as a temporary recreation center enrollment station beginning in April. Kettle bells and treadmills Plans for the center's fitness area are also solidifying, with the council on Tuesday scheduled to approve nearly $500,000 worth of new exercise equipment — from Peloton bikes and stair climbers to kettle bells and heavy bags — for the facility. The funding will come from a pool of previously approved bonding money earmarked for construction of the facility. Sale proposal documents from Feb. 5 list dozens of pieces of fitness equipment, including 10 treadmills ($83,000), six ellipticals ($51,400), 10 indoor cycles ($24,500) and two stair-climbers ($17,450). Other cardio options include recumbent bikes, four Peloton bikes, rowing machines and a 75-pound heavy bag. On the strength side, the center will provide biceps, chest, leg and shoulder machines, as well as various stability balls, foam rollers, kettle bells and free weights. Reyes said the choice of equipment was made after conversations with a Power Wellness consultant — and the city's police chief, Brian Wright, a longtime fitness advocate. 'I wanted a functional gym, one that had both free weights and machines,' Wright said on Friday, noting while both the police and fire departments have their own gyms, the new center will offer another option to those personnel. Reyes said he wants the fitness center to appeal to individuals of varying fitness levels. 'We want the young athletes and the normal laypeople,' he said. 'It's designed for multi-generational use.' The facility, which will house a two-court gym, fitness center and eight-lane pool, along with office and community space, is scheduled to host an opening ceremony before July 4 and fully open to the public later that month. The city's recreation department will also have offices inside the new center and will run some of its programming from the site. Recreation Department Director Josh Posey on Friday said he's still fine-tuning programming for the new facility. 'But I'm pricing ping-pong tables now for our community room,' he said.
