After months of wondering what was going on behind the curtain, the users of the fitness room at the Souris Valley Aquatic and Leisure Centre can now see the results of the ongoing expansion project for themselves.
The new and improved facility, which has doubled in size thanks to the expansion, was unveiled to the public over the weekend. Garth Forrester, who is the events manager for the City's leisure services division, said he is thrilled with the end product and feels users of the room will be equally impressed.
"It's basically taken our weight room and doubled the size," said Forrester. "We had to do something because our fitness room on any given night is crazy busy, you can't get in here. It gives us much more capabilities and even with the equipment it takes a lot to fill it up so it is going to be nothing but a boon for us."
Along with more space comes much more equipment and Forrester said to decide on what they should purchase, leisure services formed a committee comprised of employees and frequent users of the room.
Much like the room itself, Forrester said the reviews on the new equipment have also been positive.
"We've had it in the building for a week and everybody who walks by it they (have been impressed) with it," he said.
Committee member Dale Feser credited leisure services for having the foresight to allow users a say in what goes into the fitness room and feels that input will lead to a much better overall product for the residents of Estevan.
"I think the City has done a great job in investing some money for some great equipment," Feser said. "We developed the committee to guide them on the purchase so that we could get a good cross-section. We've got people from the aerobic end of the world, weightlifting, bodybuilding, young people, older people, male and female so that way we had a good cross section and opinions from everybody."
Among the new additions to the room are a new cable crossover machine, a chest press isolation machine and reverse pectoral decks, all of which Feser said will enhance the experience for users of the room.
"There's pretty much the whole gamut of machinery that is out there," he said. "If you're a free weight person, you can do the free weights and if you're into the machines, you can isolate different muscle groups and really define them by using the machines.
"It's very impressive looking and it is user friendly and ergonomically friendly which is the type of atmosphere we want to keep around the gym. We want to make sure that everybody is approachable and people can feel free to come in ask anybody who is in here to help you out. It's all about promoting a healthy lifestyle."
