Washtenaw Fitness Center reopens for in-person activity

The Health and Fitness Center. Torrence Williams | Washtenaw Voice

By Kristy King
Staff Writer

After a six-month closure, the Washtenaw Health and Fitness center reopened its doors on Monday, Sept. 21.

“We are taking a very cautious approach to our reopening,” said Dawn Lyons, director of WCC’s Health and Fitness Center. “The health and well-being of both members and staff is our top priority.”

Workout equipment, spaced out to aid in social distancing. Torrence Willams | Washtenaw Voice

The fitness center, managed by Power Wellness, is operating at a 25% capacity. Employees went through a two-day orientation before the reopening.

“We were one of the last centers to open, so luckily there were already procedures in place,” Lyons said. “During the orientation we were given a detailed plan for reopening, providing extensive training on how to clean properly and expectations of the center while following the guidelines set by the state. Most importantly, we went over the expectations to our members.”

Upon checking into the gym, members must go through the same COVID screening that the college requires. Members can check in through the app or by using their member card, which keeps a running total of how many patrons are in the building at any given time. Like all indoor public spaces in Michigan, masks are required to be worn the entire time throughout the facility.

“When we closed on March 15 we had about 7,800 members,” Lyons said. “We will reopen the center with about 5,500 members. Approximately 800 of those members will choose to put their membership on hold for a few more months.”

The fitness center’s pool, which is currently unavailable during this stage of reopening. Torrence Williams | Washtenaw Voice

Throughout the closure, the fitness center still offered classes via social media.

“Les Mills are classes we offer in the center,” Lyons said. “So we made them available during the closure by posting various ones each week on Facebook. Current members were also able to have access to other classes like yoga, dance, and many more. Some trainers from other centers through Power Wellness did workouts which helped connect everyone from all over during this difficult time.”

There are certain things the gym will not be offering during this phase one reopening including pools, showers, indoor group exercise classes, personal training, massage therapy, saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms, kids in motion, and the cafe.

“We want our members to feel comfortable,” Lyons said. “We have new cleaning procedures, more hand sanitizer dispensers, wipe stations, and cleaning logs. A lot of these things we had or were doing before but they are more intensified now.”