Much like the “ah” that follows loosening the belt after Thanksgiving dinner, exercisers and employees at the Wave finally felt relief this week. After months of construction clamor and machines crammed into every cranny of the building, the $750,000 expansion of the aquatic and fitness center is finally finished.
Staff members worked overtime last weekend to lug free weights and weight machines back into the lower level—now 1,400 square feet larger than before with space to stretch without socking someone accidentally in the eye. The upstairs added 3,360 square feet. The cycling room nearly doubled in size, the yoga-pilates-tai chi studio expanded with a bamboo floor and big windows, the private personal training studio added the new kinesis wall, and the mezzanine spread out with more cardio machines and a large stretching area.
Just as folks get disoriented in the grocery store when their favorite foods move aisles, this week exercisers wandered with comical lost looks, their routines broken to locate machines. But they also discovered new equipment. “We’re more excited for the members,” said Art Krueger, director of the Wave. “It’s like a new parent watching a young child open a gift.”
Not one of the 4,500 active members will miss the clanging, banging, and hammering. And I can finally turn the volume down on my headphones.