[novelchick]

Colony may not be busy after 5 pm but who wants to go then. Most gym people want to go in the morning to get it over with. Evenings are spent at the square, dancing, or with friends or at clubs, etc... so of course the gym is less crowded. My point is Colony is busy every morning. i'm on my way not and guaranteed it will be busy!!! WHY should we have to wait for machines when we pay a very expensive gym membership!! Villages need more gyms, period. Baby boomers are coming in and they are used to gyms. and honestly everyone should be in a gym. Helps in other sports, such as golf, pickelball, softball, etc... we all need gyms!! Health is my no 1 priority. without it, i have nothing else!!

[homeball]

Talking about crowded gyms, even out in the real world there are times when the gyms no matter how big are crowded. I would never consider going to Bally's during the week after 4PM. That's when all the working people start to come home and pile into the gym. And the weekends are crowded also. If I go on a weekend, it's usually after 3PM.

I'm not a morning person. But, if I wanted to go to an activity at a popular time when everyone else wanted to go, I would expect it to be crowded. I bet that, if one monitored the OMNI gym, one would probably find that there are times when the place is just jam-packed. And if not now, eventually it will be when more and more people hear about it and sign up.

So it begs the question about how many more gyms would be needed in TV to significantly alleviate the congestion. If the gyms were free (included in the amenities), how much criticism would one hear or would people just adjust their schedules to make use of the gyms at less busy times.

I agree that TV could use a couple of extra gym facilities to help alleviate some of the crowded conditions during snow bird season. And then maybe some of the extra gyms could be closed during the off peak season to consolidate operating costs and make the use of the remaining facilities more efficient. Just my opinion.

-Dave-

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by NJblue

Well, I'm not sure that that's true (unless my sales rep and contract that I signed lied to me). The amenity fee for existing residents is fixed to the rate of inflation. Hence doubling the number of fitness centers won't cost anything more than doubling the number of pickleball courts or swimming pools or whatever. From an existing resident perspective, their amenity fee is going to go up at the same rate whether we add more fitness centers or not.

What it may mean (see below for an exception), however, is that adding another fitness center or two will come from the same budget that is used for the other amenities such as golf and tennis and pickleball. My point has been that the cost of a fitness center relative to the cost of a golf course is almost insignificant and hence not much would have to be given up from other amenities in order to provide another fitness center or two.

Of course, this assume that a fitness center is treated as an amenity. As has been pointed out above, there is a charge for a fitness membersship and hence is not an amenity such as executive golf or swimming, etc. There may be some subsidy coming from the amenity fee for fitness centers, but as of now, 100% of the fixed and operational costs for the fitness centers do NOT come from the amenity fee. If this business model persists, then the addition of another fitness center or two would have an even smaller impact on the other amenities.

Yeah, we newbies can be a PITA with our suggestions, but bear in mind that we represent the next wave of people that is retiring. To ignore our desires/suggestions and keep things the way they were 5 or 10 years ago may come at the cost of TV becoming obsolete. A good business will change and adapt to a changing marketplace. A business that ignores its customers and clings to an old business model is asking to become the next buggy whip maker.

do the amenity fees go down in deflation?

[novelchick]

i'm not sure how the gyms are associated with amentities fees because they are in a recreation center already established and the fee they charge would well cover their equipment in no time!! They must realize that we are the new baby boomer seniors who are interested in keeping fit and going to the gyms!! With the growing population they have to add more. there should have been a gym put into Lk Miona which is a nice size rec center that could hold a gym easily. Colony can't hold many more clients in the gym w/o frustration from the residents. The weight area is so small when you work out on the bench and someone is standing over you holding weights what if one of their weights drop on your head??? Whew - that might be a lawsuit waiting to happen!!

I agree. The health club at Colony is pretty basic. Not to hijack the thread, but speaking of Lake Miona, they didn't even put in an adequate sports pool at Lake Miona. It doesn't have lane lines painted on the bottom, which is a requirement for competitive swimmers! My husband has to travel up to Colony or over to Laurel Manor for his swimming. A number of people have brought it to their attention, over the past few years, and nothing has been done.

[dhs9099]

Me too - I couldn't believe that the "rec centers" didn't have a gym floor with a place for indoor volleyball, basketball, etc.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by Talk Host

I was a member of the Wellness Center for over a year. In the winter, it was so crowded that it was a real problem. When it came time for me to renew my membership, I commented to the sales rep that it was pretty crowded most of the time. Her answer was a curt "....get use to it." I didn't renew. I have been a member of "to your health" in Belleview for over two years now. Not a new gym, but lots of equipment, and I have some very good friends there now. I do weight training for an hour, then play raquette ball with my friends for an hour. Great workout.

JLK

Talk Host:

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware that racquetball courts were available around TV. I would love to start racquetball when I move to TV. Is the cost reasonable?

Planet Fitness at $10 per month would be a viable option if there was going to be one in TV. It seems there is a need for one or more. Planet Fitness in CT does not have raquetball courts and or pools. Probably to keep cost of membership at $10.

I agree that working out and playing racquetball will keep one physically fit.
As you know, you use every muscle in your body playing racuetball.

[Russ_Boston]

Not that I won't join the MVP club or something but one of the main pleasures of living in a place like TV is the abundance of outdoor fitness. You can join pickleball leagues, tennis leagues, swim laps in the pool (I agree that Miona should paint some bottom lanes!), bike the trails, run/walk the trails, rollerblade the trails, play paddleball, outdoor volleyball, softball leagues, golf (almost 4 miles of walking per 18 if you walk), etc.

If I join MVP it will be for the group sessions. Some people need specific weight resistance training and for that they need an indoor facility but for me I'll take the great outdoors!

[batman911]

The attached link will show you what a real fitness facility should look like. This one in located in Citrus Hills, FL which is just down the road from TV. I believe TV community/homeowners association should be lobbying for these types of facilities. There should be several built in TV. Does anyone think that liability may be the reason for the lack of free weights and facilities in TV?

http://www.citrushills.com/bellavita.asp

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by batman911

The attached link will show you what a real fitness facility should look like. This one in located in Citrus Hills, FL which is just down the road from TV. I believe TV community/homeowners association should be lobbying for these types of facilities. There should be several built in TV. Does anyone think that liability may be the reason for the lack of free weights and facilities in TV?

http://www.citrushills.com/bellavita.asp

Nice. But a quick glance of their 'other' facilities show 3 golf courses, no pickleball courts, no executive golf courses, 3 outdoor pools. And many other things such as no places of worship, limited golf cart accessibility etc. etc. etc.

Now would you make that trade? How many of those lavish gym facilities would TV need to build to satisfy 100K people?

While it would be nice to have it all but comprise does need to be struck. For my money, give me the outdoor facilties that we have.

[graciegirl]

What percentage of the total population use the gyms on a regular basis?

What is your guess? I guess less than ten percent.

Of the 16 nearby neighbor homes of people we know well, none use the gyms.

Our next door neighbor runs and does triathlons. Others are exercising in many other ways.

[Avista]

My husband and I use the gym at Colony almost every day. It can be crowded at times, and I think it is expensive. We do need more gyms and I think the price should be lowered. Perhaps a special rate for after 5pm or some way a discount could be worked in.

[Taj44]

Originally Posted by batman911

The attached link will show you what a real fitness facility should look like. This one in located in Citrus Hills, FL which is just down the road from TV. I believe TV community/homeowners association should be lobbying for these types of facilities. There should be several built in TV. Does anyone think that liability may be the reason for the lack of free weights and facilities in TV?

http://www.citrushills.com/bellavita.asp

Thanks for the link - yes exercise facilities are certainly needed, and many many retirement communities have them at no cost to the residents. Why we have so few here, and they are so expensive, is beyond me. Even Spruce Creek, which is nowhere near the nice community that The Villages is, has a free exercise facility. There are many times of year when we can't exercise outdoors - in the winter it gets cold, in the summer the heat can be just awful, and you get the afternoon thunderstorms. I believe if the facilities were here, the residents would use them. We need to lobby for this when the annual survey comes out.

[ConeyIsBabe]

Having an uncrowded fitness center or gym close to my home would be a tremendous motivator for me to relocate to TV ~ someday ~ I'm still hanging in

[kentucky blue]

The more of us baby boomers who make their home in TV, the more facilities will be needed . Retirement gives you more opportunities to exercise and get yourself in good shape, both physically and mentally. We need more gyms, since activities like golf, are not really a form of exercise , it's a wonderful social event with friends and family. One of the reasons i like our home so much is, it's so close to the 2 best gyms in TV.Only time will tell if "the powers that be" listen.