Mt. Pleasant REC Center reopening with new restrictions

MT. PLEASANT - The REC Center in Mt. Pleasant will be reopening Monday, May 18 with new guidelines and rules to ensure people stay safe.

The exercise facility will open in phases, according to executive director, Ryan Duffie.

'Hopefully with the next proclamation [from the Governor] on May 27, we'll be able to reanalyze and go to phase two,” he said.

With phase one, members will be able to access the center by signing up for time slots on the REC's website. The facility will have half-hour sessions that run Monday through Friday, from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., which current members will be able to reserve for $2. Reservations will be available three days in advance.

'Instead of opening and just saying ‘we can only have this many people at a time,' and people waiting for who knows how long, members are signing up for a specific time,” Duffie said.

Following each session, the center will be closed down for 15 minutes before the following session begins, giving staff the appropriate time to clean off equipment and areas.

The executive director explained only three areas of the facility will be open to members in phase one: the weight and cardio area, studio B and the gymnasium.

Sessions in studio B and the gymnasium will be 'group class based,” with staff from the center offering guidance to members who sign up for those areas. The classes will be held following social distancing guidelines. Members are also asked to observe social distancing for any time they spend within the center. When signing up for a session, members will choose one of the three areas and will be permitted access to that area only during their time slot.

All other areas of the facility will remain closed, including the pool, locker rooms, and racquetball courts.

Duffie noted there are also a couple new restrictions that go with phase one including only people 15 and older will be allowed access to the facility and are requiring people to sanitize their hands as they enter. The center is asking members to bring their own water bottles but will continue to have their handsfree refill station available.

Currently, only members are allowed access to the facility - no guests or those looking to purchase day-passes will be permitted.

'We want to be responsible and open in a safe manner, so we've found going with a conservative approach at the beginning is the best bet,” Duffie said, 'We miss everybody. It's been two long months and our staff is excited to get back and help people with health and fitness.”