White River Junction
UVAC recently opened an approximately 5,000-square-foot addition that includes a bevy of new fitness equipment, a “mind-body” room and a satellite location for a Hanover-based physical therapy service.
The fitness center’s free-weight space is more than double the size of its previous location on the south end of the building, which is being converted into a front desk area and group exercise space.
Among the equipment upgrades are about a dozen new cardio machines, including advanced treadmills and rowers, four weight machines and four Olympic-sized power racks.
New dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls and suspension training straps are all part of the package, while a 40-foot-long, carpeted speed and agility track splits the center.
The improvements also include new locker room “suites” to help provide privacy for families.
The recently completed renovations are the first of a three-phase project, conceptualized about three years ago and running slightly under its $4.4 million budget.
It’s the first major construction upgrades to the nonprofit UVAC, which opened in 2009. While owned by the town of Hartford, the facility receives no public funding. Funds for this project were raised entirely through private donors, according to fifth-year executive director Rich Synnott.
“I think it’s something to be proud of,” he said. “About 75 percent of our members use the fitness center in one way or another, whether it’s combined with their swimming workout or something they use while their kids are in swimming lessons. So there’s a huge demand for it, and we simply ran out of space.”
Even more than the state-of-the-art equipment, UVAC members on Friday appeared to enjoy the extra space the new fitness center affords.
Cally Lavigne, of West Lebanon, finds the new setting vastly more comfortable.
“It’s wonderful because you don’t feel like you’re exercising on top of each other anymore,” Lavigne said. “In the old space, when someone was stretching or working out right next to you, it could get competitive. Now there’s enough space for everyone to pretty much do their own thing.”
East Thetford resident Betty Waterman, who was training alongside Lavigne, echoed her sentiment. “Before, you might be doing some light stretching on the floor and someone comes walking by with a huge weight. You’d be thinking, ‘Please don’t drop that,’ ” Waterman said. “Now all of the different activities are much more spread out.”
Group exercise director Erin Buck marvels at some of the technology involved with the new equipment, such as the treadmills that feature screens with a Google maps interface.
“It’s cool because you can design a course and the incline levels will change as if you’re running outside,” said Buck, who leads a popular Pals for Life program for cancer survivors. “You could run the Covered Bridges Half Marathon if you want and run right by Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller (National Historical Park in Woodstock).”
Synnott is particularly pleased with the locker room upgrades, which feature durable plastic lockers and stain-proof carpeting. The family suites are moderately spacious dressing rooms with both a shower and toilet.
“Some people might be uncomfortable being naked around others or having their 3-year-old kids changing by themselves in an open area, and now they won’t have to be,” Synnott said. “It’s a much more family-friendly set up.”
Phase II of the project is ongoing and will convert the existing group fitness room into offices and a day care area. The previous fitness center will be home to a new front desk and group exercise area, with the back half of the room devoted to group cycling.
A third stage will upgrade the dehumidification and heating systems in UVAC’s pools, helping regulate temperature and save nearly $100,000 in electricity costs and about 19,000 gallons of propane per year, according to Synnott.
“Right now, the pools can feel too warm for some people and too cold for other people,” Synnott noted. “The new system will allow us to put one at 80 degrees, the other at 88 degrees, for example, and people can chose which they prefer. We hope to have that done by the last week of August.”
Lavigne, 69, said the accommodating atmosphere at UVAC has helped her overcome an aversion to exercise. She’s even more motivated with the new setup.
“I hate exercise; I’m allergic to it,” Lavigne said. “This is the only place I can do it.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.