Bay Oaks fitness room adds equipment
Just over two years after acquiring donated equipment and relocating to another spot within the rec center, the Bay Oaks fitness room has gone through another metamorphosis of sorts.
The Al Oerter Weight Room has added more equipment within its more than 1,500 square feet of workout area and can accommodate up to 25 people on several apparatus or with free weights. It offers three treadmills, one recumbent Bike, one stair-stepper, two elliptical machines, a smith machine, an assortment of free weight dumbbells, bars and attachments and a 50-inch flat screen television.
In October 2012, Bay Oaks increased the value of its memberships by moving its weight room equipment from a room featuring just over 400 square feet to the current bigger room. Just three weeks ago, Bay Oaks staff decided to remodel the fitness center to provide more options for the fitness enthusiast.
“The feedback has been tremendous,” said Bay Oaks Athletic & Fitness Coordinator Adam Leicht. “People come in here, and they rave about it.
“When you go to a big gym, you have all of those individual pieces and you’re used to that. Now we have it, and people who come down here from up north are able to get the same workout they do at a corporate gym.”
The Al Oerter Weight Room is open on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The fee is free to members and $4 daily for nonmembers, $35 for the yearly rate or $20 for the six-month seasonal rate.
The fitness room is in memory of late Beach resident Al Oerter, the four-time U.S. Olympic champion discus thrower who donated a lot of equipment to Bay Oaks before he passed away.
Besides Oerter, past donated equipment had come from Beach resident Brian Raymond, owner of the Fort Myers Fitness, former Beach resident Serge Renaud, former yoga instructor Jack Barone as well as anonymous donations. This time, the Town of Fort Myers Beach provided the mostly Life Fitness circuit equipment.
“This is the actual first equipment purchase the Town has made since taking over Bay Oaks,” said Leicht, who commented the weight equipment was “lightly used” and previously owned by a resort or condominium association prior to purchase. “They gave us a heck of a deal on it. I think it is something worthwhile for all of our members and visitors here. There is very little maintenance on this equipment. It should last us quite a while. We should definitely get our investment out of it.”
For those needing first-time assistance, Bay Oaks offers a “free” weight room orientation to all members. The pre-registration orientation will teach you how to properly use each piece of equipment in the fitness center as well as tips and tricks on how to workout different parts of your body. The class is held on Mondays at 11 a.m. The charge for nonmembers is $4.
With its “every resident a member” program, Beach residents can sign up and work out for free. Since the added equipment was installed, non-resident membership sales have increased at least 30 percent, says Leicht.
“That is one of our bigger selling points for that program,” he said. “We’ve sold quite a few memberships in the last two weeks.”
Discounted corporate memberships are also offered for those businesses that either want to provide a Bay Oaks experience for its employees or guests. Six different option plans are offered, ranging from a fees rate that includes a 10 percent plan for 1-5 employees/guests to a 50 percent plan for 76-plus employees/guests. Call 765-4222 to inquire more about it. Within the three week period with the added weights, a corporate membership was reportedly sold.
Leicht said that the weight room is one of the improvements going on at Bay Oaks Recreational Campus. A new front desk has been installed for better efficiency, new fencing along the ballfields fully encloses the perimeter and covered bleachers to protect from weather elements are in the process of being built.
“Those are just a few of the steps in the process that we’re doing to add some things around the campus to make it more enjoyable for everybody,” said Leicht.