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News
Rates for The Wave will be set in mid-Nov. Posted: Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004 - 04:02:59 pm PDT By LYNNETTE HINTZE Whitefish Pilot
The anticipation is building for the January opening of The Wave, the Whitefish Community Aquatic & Health Center, and the rate schedule will be announced in mid-November, project manager Dan Weinberg said this week. "Our mission is to get as many people in here as possible," Weinberg said, "but we want them to be able to see what they're getting for their money before we announce the rates."There's this excitement out there," he acknowledged. "We're getting a lot of calls, about five to seven calls a day." Fees for The Wave will be similar to most family YMCAs, Weinberg has promised, noting that rates for senior citizens will be "reasonable." Day passes for use of the aquatic and health center will be offered, but patrons won't be able to buy separate memberships just for the swimming pool, Weinberg said. "The reason Whitefish hasn't built a pool in the past is that it's expensive to build and maintain," he noted. "The offsetting activities pay for the facility." Among those offsetting amenities is a separate children's pool and waterslide tower with a tube that winds through the exterior wall to the outside and then back inside. Other amenities include a full-size gymnasium, racquetball and squash courts, six-lane pool, therapy pool, cardio-fitness area, weight room, space for group aerobics, indoor cycling classes, yoga and pilates. Spacious locker rooms with steam rooms, a pro shop, daycare center, Jacuzzi and dry sauna are other features. Professional Therapy Associates will lease 3,500 square feet on the ground, and An Salon will lease space on the upper level for a beauty salon. The goal, Weinberg said, is to provide a whole range of health activities and services. Fund-raising is still ongoing for the 40,000-square-foot facility, which will cost between $6.75 and $7 million. The mortgage will be $2 million. To date, $3.86 million of the $4 million goal has been met, but fund-raising will continue, Weinberg said, because the more money that is raised, the lower rates will be. The city of Whitefish put $70,000 in tax-increment revenue into the project to pay for removable equipment and land costs. Once the center opens, it will be given to the city in order for the nonprofit corporation to come under the city's insurance coverage. The city, in turn, will lease The Wave back to the nonprofit entity for an initial 30-year lease, with two 20-year options. The annual lease will be $10 a year. The anticipation is building for the January opening of The Wave, the Whitefish Community Aquatic & Health Center, and the rate schedule will be announced in mid-November, project manager Dan Weinberg said this week. "Our mission is to get as many people in here as possible," Weinberg said, "but we want them to be able to see what they're getting for their money before we announce the rates. "There's this excitement out there," he acknowledged. "We're getting a lot of calls, about five to seven calls a day." Fees for The Wave will be similar to most family YMCAs, Weinberg has promised, noting that rates for senior citizens will be "reasonable." Affordable rates are also planned for teens whose parents aren't members, and for groups who want to use the waterslides and accompanying party room. About $24,000 has already been raised for need-based youth scholarships. Day passes for use of the aquatic and health center will be offered, but patrons won't be able to buy separate memberships just for the swimming pool, Weinberg said. "The reason Whitefish hasn't built a pool in the past is that it's expensive to build and maintain," he noted. "The offsetting activities pay for the facility." Among those offsetting amenities is a separate children's pool and waterslide tower with a tube that winds through the exterior wall to the outside and then back inside. Other amenities include a full-size gymnasium, racquetball and squash courts, six-lane pool, therapy pool, cardio-fitness area, weight room, space for group aerobics, indoor cycling classes, yoga and pilates. Spacious locker rooms with steam rooms, a pro shop, daycare center, Jacuzzi and dry sauna are other features. Professional Therapy Associates will lease 3,500 square feet on the ground, and An Salon will lease space on the upper level for a beauty salon. The goal, Weinberg said, is to provide a whole range of health activities and services. Fund-raising is still ongoing for the 40,000-square-foot facility, which will cost between $6.75 and $7 million. The mortgage will be $2 million. To date, $3.86 million of the $4 million goal has been met, but fund-raising will continue, Weinberg said, because the more money that is raised, the lower rates will be. The city of Whitefish put $70,000 in tax-increment revenue into the project to pay for removable equipment and land costs. Once the center opens, it will be given to the city in order for the nonprofit corporation to come under the city's insurance coverage. The city, in turn, will lease The Wave back to the nonprofit entity for an initial 30-year lease, with two 20-year options. The annual lease will be $10 a year. New Wave director is Great Falls native Art Krueger of Great Falls has been hired as director of The Wave. Krueger was previously the assistant manager of the Peak Health and Wellness Center in Great Falls, and prior to that worked at Healthworks, affiliated with Benefis Healthcare in Great Falls. A native of Great Falls, Krueger has a degree in health and physical education, with an emphasis in exercise science, from the Montana State University-Northern in Havre. "This is a great opportunity, and I'm excited to get to watch a community like this grow and become healthy," he said. Krueger, 34, and his wife, Anna-Marie, have three daughters who attend Muldown Elementary School.
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