Wellness Center set to open in February

A member of the Alleghany Wellness Center Inc. (AWCI) board says that the board hopes to have the new center open on Feb. 15, and that the board has also set a Feb. 28 "at-the-latest" date for the opening of the new center to the general public.

The center was previously expected to open sometime this month, as was reported earlier.

Jack Martin, who chairs the board's facilities and grounds committee, cited two main factors as being responsible for the delay in the opening of the new center.

"January can be vicious," he said. "If the weather cooperates, we should be able to meet those dates - assuming that we have normal weather. Also, there was a delay in making some decisions, including regarding kitchen equipment and carpeting."

He said that the main structure of the facility is complete as far as construction goes. Neither carpeting nor equipment are yet inside the 16,000-square-foot "main building," located at 508 Collins Rd. The pool area, which encompasses between 7,000 and 8,000 square feet, has some work yet to be done. This work includes laying the "apron" around the pool and putting a glaze finish inside the pool. The glaze finish can only be put in if the weather is above freezing both day and night, Martin added.

AWCI Board Chair Martha McKnight said she is also pleased with the construction work so far.

"The inside of the building has been coming along beautifully," said McKnight. "We've still got some cement to pour around the path for the pool, and after we've done that, we can then put up the inflatable dome that goes over the pool."

Martin said that the main building will include a workout room featuring both Nautilus weight machines and free weights, and that there will be a heated therapy pool alongside the regular, Olympic-size swimming pool.

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