HUNTERSVILLE – The town-owned Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics center has reached its capacity for use of its pools and has turned away groups outside Huntersville, the executive director of the center told Huntersville commissioners last week.
“We turn away” many out-of-town groups requesting use of the center’s world-class pool because members already complain because they can’t get lap-swimming time in the center’s pools or schedule an activity, such as a child’s birthday party, said Dee Jetton, whose company, Health & Sports Works, manages the center for the town.
At the town board’s annual retreat Thursday, Feb. 24, Jetton said she’d be “very happy” to see another company build a Olympic-size pool facility in Cornelius or Mooresville to relieve some of the demand on Family Fitness & Aquatic.
The center’s 50-meter pool and Olympic-class diving platform already draws regional, national and, even international meets to Huntersville, but to draw “Olympic class” events to Huntersville, the town will have to make capital improvements, including removing a wall and expanding seating that those athletic events require, Jetton said.
The 11725 Verhoeff Road center continues to attract national athletes. The U.S. Triathlon Association is in the process of certifying the Huntersville center, through a partnership with Cool Breeze Cyclery and Presbyterian Hospital, as one of its few “official training centers” in the country. The center also has partnered with Lakeside Family Physicians, which is leasing space to provide aquatic and physical therapy.
Jetton came to the board with a three-to-five-year view of facility improvements the center will need, including:
• Adding an ultraviolet water treatment system that will improve air quality in the smaller indoor pool area.
• Retrofitting or replacing the original heating and air conditioning system, including ducts. The town already has replaced all but one compressor in all of the units.
• Updating locker rooms; the computer system, which is original to the facility; locker rooms; and resurface the pools, the group-exercise studio and the gym floor.
To accommodate continuing membership growth, Jetton said the town might consider renting one of many vacant retail spaces in town to offer popular group-exercise classes, space for personal trainers to work with members and more space for bike and weight work.
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