Officials Seek Revenue
EXPENSES RISING BECAUSE OF MORE MEMBERS, AGING EQUIPMENT
Posted: November 21, 2011 at 5:20 a.m.
Hazel and Jim Stewart of Rogers exercise on Friday at the Adult Wellness Center. Hazel said the couple uses the center almost every day.
City officials are searching for ways to increase revenue at the Adult Wellness Center to help offset rising expenses.
FAST FACTS
The Adult Wellness Center
The Adult Wellness Center, at 2001 W. Persimmon St., has grown from just over 3,000 members to nearly 16,000 in five years.
• There are 9,662 members who are women and 6,008 who are men.
• The majority of members, 5,546, are between 60 and 69 years old, with 4,167 members in the 50-59 age range. There are 3,900 members age 70-79 years and 2,027 members 80 and older.
• The majority of members, 5,139, live in Rogers. Bella Vista has 1,345 members and Bentonville has 1,270 members. There are 1,879 members from other communities such as Springdale, Lowell, Fayetteville and smaller cities in Benton and Washington counties.
• In 2010, the last annual figure available, there were 204,962 member visits to the Wellness Center.
Source: The Adult Wellness Center
By The Numbers
Cost Of Operation
The cost of operating the Adult Wellness Center is increasing as the building and equipment ages and the number of members increase.
• Total anticipated revenue for the center in 2012 is $385,000.
• Human resource expense is estimated at $374,755.
• Operation and maintenance expense, including $105,000 for instructional programs and $20,000 for pool maintenance, is estimated at $827,855.
• $15,200 for replacing a treadmill and two other exercise machines was added to the 2012 budget.
• The total expenses for 2012 is estimated to be $843,055.
Source: Proposed City Budget
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We pay $7.50 every two weeks for our family membership at Walton Life Fitness Center in Bentonville and we think that's a steal. Current members would stand for a $25 a year increase but they would balk at tripling the price in such a short time.
There are many people who prefer to work out there because they feel more comfortable working out with others in their age group and fitness level. Many of those people could easily donate to a foundation to support the center.
Expanding hours could increase membership and pump more money into the center. There is an un-served population that cannot work out during the hours because of their work schedule or location. At 16,000, I suspect they are at capacity in their current format. This center is one of the best investments in the health of our citizens and has been a wonderful gift from the city.
They should be benchmarking a facility like the Walton Life Fitness Center because they could learn from them and the challenges they face to break even.
Posted by: carrieperriensmith
November 21, 2011 at 9:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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