Building Update: Regarding the Gym

With any major construction project, there is a lot to consider and people have a lot of questions. We intend to live into our high value for transparency and want to address some of the questions that have been voiced in our community.

One of the most pertinent questions raised was why we could not keep the gym, or any part of the old building. The answer is fairly straightforward, though there are various elements as well. Primarily, renovating the gym as it stood would be fairly expensive. While the steel structure itself was in good condition, the building would have needed to be re-sheeted with new exterior metal.

Additionally, all interior finishes such as lights and heating and cooling would have needed to be upgraded. Oftentimes, the task of working within an existing structure is also more complicated, and while the building was in decent shape, building into and around an older structure would also have set us up for repair work much sooner. Overall, there weren’t that many cost savings, so it became clear that it was not viable to keep the existing gym or other parts of the old building.

A new building provided us with the opportunity to dream bigger. One of the limitations of the old gym is that it was very crowded, and couldn’t adequately handle all of the programming needs, let alone provide space for spectators. A second 2nd gym was really more of a necessity than a luxury.

Another aspect that a new building could allow us to imagine was a more strategic layout. The new center has a well thought out traffic flow that makes the space work well so we can have half a dozen things happening at the same time.

While the renovated car wash and original gym were great for its time – the new building design will make a statement and attract people to the remarkable destination that Tolson will be.

We are so excited for what is to come and invite you to join us as we bring a new building into reality. You can show your support by signing up for our mailing list, following us on social media and sharing our posts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn)  and making a financial contribution.