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Staff members at Luverne Aquatics and Fitness are only days away from opening the newly remodeled and expanded facility on North Blue Mound Avenue.
Director Sam Honerman and supervisor Michelle DeKam hosted a Thursday morning tour for the Luverne Area Chamber’s monthly Networking Coffee.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Honerman told the group.
Hoogendorn Construction broke ground on the $5 million project in April 2021, and crews are wrapping up final punch-list items before the grand opening Monday, May 2.
Improvements include an outdoor splash pad, new locker rooms, four family changing rooms, flat space rooms for group aerobic exercise, new office space and staff area, larger rooms for 24-hour weightlifting and aerobic exercise machines and a new mechanical and heat, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
Honerman led the group through the facility that’s now 10,000 square feet bigger.
24/7 fitness access
An updated spacious lobby connects to a 1,600-square-foot weight room with all new equipment, a cardio room with all new equipment and 1,500-square-foot multi-purpose cardio area, all accessible by 24/7 key cards.
“This is the first time we’ve ever had a large room for aerobics,” Honerman said. “We are very excited about this room. This room will be utilized a lot.”
The room has mirrored walls and large screen for video-aided classes, and six newly hired trainers will offer a range of classes.
They include Tabata, Zumba, Bootcamp, Advanced Cycling, Silver Cycling, Cycling, Sculpt Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Power Sticks, Spinning and Seniors in Motion.
The open room can be utilized for its SMARTFIT System that offers more than 200 on-demand fitness classes that are all available 24/7. “So, if you want to do kickboxing at 2 a.m., you can,” Honerman said.
Improved locker rooms and four family changing rooms
The new locker rooms (with 96 lockers with key code access) include several private showers and changing areas, handicap features, suit spinners (to dry out wet suits) and antimicrobial floor surfaces.
The women’s locker room is larger than the men’s with an extra vanity area with mirrors, a counter and seating.
The facility now has four family changing rooms, which have long been in demand among members.
“It’s something really exciting for us, for our patrons, for families with little kids, for people with Sanford therapy and for anyone who provides assistance for someone swimming or coming to work out,” Honerman said.
“I think it’s imperative in this day and age to have something like this. The fact that we have four is huge.”
Pool improvements
She toured the group through the existing pool area, which had deck improvements and behind-the-scenes mechanical upgrades, but otherwise appears the same.
The pool is 25 yards long and is three feet deep on the shallow end and 11 feet deep on the deep end.
Amenities include a 1-meter diving board, a rock climbing wall, a wading pool with a slide, a hot tub and the facility’s iconic 30-year-old frog slide.
“He’s been fixed, refurbished, fixed again and painted,” Honerman said. “We can’t get rid of the frog slide.”
Water classes include lap swimming, senior swimming, swimming lessons, H2O Spin, Aqua Nutz, H2O Walk Class, H2O Intense, Wall Workout and Bogo Fit.
Splash pad
The outdoor splash pad will use reclaimed water that is sanitized and reused. There are a variety of water features for a variety of ages. For example, several rocks serve as “bubblers” for little ones who might be afraid to be splashed.
A large clear bucket up high slowly fills and eventually dumps on waiting children below. And there are several water cannons and other splash features.
A new climate-controlled observation room is larger than the previous one and includes a play area for small children.
A party room, with an adjacent lounge area, can be rented just off the pool area, and a back lounge area offers a comfortable space (with a coffee kiosk) for adults waiting to pick up their children from swimming.
“This has become one of our favorite parts of the building,” Honerman said.
The pool and fitness staff members now have more space for office work, storage and a staff lounge.
Honerman and supervisor Michelle DeKam are the only full-time employees at the facility. In addition, there are eight supervisors and 56 part-time workers who are lifeguards and/or front desk workers.
Memberships costs, which will be posted on the facility’s website, are expected to rise slightly due to the new amenities.
However, the city is committed to keeping rates low by subsidizing operations to make the facility affordable to all community residents.
The open house on May 2 will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during which time refreshments will be served and people can sign up for classes and memberships.
Regular facility hours start on Tuesday, May 3, with all fitness and water activities available.