By Nathan Barney
ndb26@email.byu.edu
24 Hour Fitness has had problems with the construction of its new health club in Provo, but company officials say those problems are now behind them.
The club, to be built behind Albertson's grocery store on University Parkway in Provo, was to open at the beginning of September. The ground has yet to be broken.
Adam Park, the assistant general manager of 24 Hour Fitness' temporary location in Orem, said there were several construction delays contributing to the late start.
'The pad was laid out wrong, and we had to go to court over how we wanted the building to face,' Park said.
Additional problems included a high water table, difficulty in meeting all city ordinances and trouble obtaining construction permits, Park said.
Matt Stone, the district manager for 24 Hour Fitness, said the company had overextended financially through purchases of centers in Europe, which also caused problems.
Stone said the company has now cleared all of these hurdles and expects to break ground Oct. 1. Construction of the new gym should be completed by June of 2001.
Some club members who signed on with 24 Hour Fitness in anticipation of a new facility have expressed concern over the delay.
Stone said they will work with members on an individual basis to resolve any concerns members may have.
Rhome Zabriskie, 28, a graduate student, said he had difficulty obtaining information about the construction timeline for the new gym. He has since worked out his problems with the club and is pleased with the results.
'I have nothing but good to say about (24 Hour Fitness) now,' Zabriskie said.
Some 24 Hour Fitness members said they had heard from other members and salespeople at other clubs in the area that construction would not begin on the new facility until 24 Hour Fitness salespeople had met a quota for new member signups.
Stone said there is no truth to these rumors and that all delays have been strictly construction related.
The club's temporary location in Orem will remain open and will look for ways to expand its services to accommodate members, he said. The club will now remain open 24 hours a day to facilitate member demands.
Park said 24 Hour Fitness has signed up approximately 2,000 members in the Provo/Orem area.
Gold's Gym in Provo is also building a new facility. Gold's co-owner Troy Peterson said the move to a new, expanded location is in response to the increased competition in the area.
'We wanted to step up to compete with them,' Peterson said.
Gold's Gym will be moving from its current location at the bottom of the Provo/Orem hill to the top of the hill in south Orem on State Street.
Construction on the gym was to be completed in mid-August, but construction delays slowed them as well. Gold's Gym hopes to have their new location open today. Peterson said a worst-case scenario would result in a September 25 opening.
Jason Bell, 28, a BYU graduate, is a member of Gold's Gym. He said he is hoping the new gym will provide members with more room and expanded facilities.
Peterson said they have outgrown their present facility. They now operate in a 13,000 square foot building. The new building is 36,000 square feet and has a basketball court, racquetball courts, a pool and larger aerobics rooms.
Park said the new 24 Hour Fitness location will have 42,000 square feet of weight training, aerobic, basketball, racquetball and swimming facilities.
Peterson said Gold's Gym doesn't have any future plans for expansion in the area.
Stone said 24 Hour Fitness plans on opening seven more locations along the Wasatch Front in the coming years.