By: Danielle Bouchard
Most of you, if not all of you, know that we were built in 1977. Back then it was built primarily with tennis in mind. Fitness wasn’t a thought as golf and tennis were “the thing”. In 1982, we introduced fitness as an added feature. We had a small space designated for fitness at the time. Cardio on one side and weight lifting on the other. And over time, as the industry grew along with the demand, we removed two tennis courts and built the fitness center that we have now.
In the late 80’s, early 90’s we added the swimming pool knowing there would be a demand. We didn’t want to build a recreational pool but wanted to focus more on therapy, water classes, and lessons.
Since the early 90’s we have kept our same price point on the membership dues. We have not had an increase in fitness membership dues since 1998. In 2007 we implemented our first “Enhancement Fee” to all memberships in order to assist with capital improvements made in the previous year. Since then we have continued to apply this fee each February.
We have worked hard at keeping this fee fairly stable, sometimes even decreasing it from one year to the next. Understanding that we may have had a significant amount of capital improvements in a particular year.
I am well aware that we have competition all around us; however, I also know that we provide more and better service. Yes, the Club is old and sometimes it shows it’s age but what is more important is how you are treated when you are here. Knowing that we care goes a long way. Knowing that we are looking out for you, is more than what other gyms will do. And knowing that we want to help versus not; well, that’s way better than many other places!
Our costs have continued to increase. With minimum wage continuously increasing along with mandatory benefits, it is becoming more difficult to sustain our monthly dues from 1998. So when you ask, “why am I receiving this enhancement fee”, its because our costs continue to escalate and in order to sustain and maintain the business, it is an absolute must to pass on some of those costs.
