Newton YMCA, Anytime Fitness allowed to re-open

The treadmills are rolling. The bicycle wheels are spinning. And the weights are clanging.

Fitness centers were allowed to re-open on Friday throughout the state. The Newton YMCA decided to wait until Monday to re-open its doors, while Anytime Fitness unlocked its 24-hour member door at midnight Friday.

Both facilities will have several restrictions and some pieces at both places will remain closed. Members may refer to each club’s Facebook page for more information.

Newton YMCA Chief Executive Officer Lucas Hughes said the hardest part of opening back up is not being able to allow members to gather and socialize.

“The YMCA is built on the principles of community,” Hughes said. “Communities are made up of families who are close knit and are meant to gather. The hardest part of this entire process will be to implement and adapt to a new cultural norm that consists with social distancing and proper hygiene for our staff and members.”

For now, child watch, coffee services, towel and locker services, group fitness classes, competitive adult and youth sports programming, racquetball courts, the Newton Community Theatre, the pool, sauna, whirpool and steam room and the four large locker room areas at the Newton Y will remain closed.

Group fitness classes at Anytime Fitness were scheduled to get going again on Monday.

Both facilities will be allowed to open at 50 percent capacity. Workouts at the Newton Y are limited to 90 minutes per member, while Anytime Fitness members may workout for a maximum of 60 minutes.

For safety purposes, the Newton Y now will have two glass protectors at the front desk, staff members will get daily temperature checks and members will be asked a few screening questions regarding COVID-19.

There will be PPE masks available for use but at a limited supply. The masks are not required but encouraged. The facility will be sanitized upon opening and closing and staff members will clean high touch points and the machines throughout the day.

No guests/day passes or nationwide memberships will be allowed at this time and all members are asked to reserve a time slot for all open locations throughout the facility. Members can reserve their times at newtonymca.as.me/.

“We will continue to work out the kinks in our reservation system and hopefully that too will become part of our culture,” Hughes said. “In the meantime, if our reservation system is not full in that particular area, our staff are trained to input that member’s info into our system at the front desk and are encouraging members to do so for themselves the next time they want to come in.”

There also will be a limited number of members allowed in certain portions of the Newton Y. The cardio area can have up to 15 participants, while the cybex/machine weight area may have up to eight. The weight room will be limited to five, while the large gym can have up to 10 on each side of the court but no competitive play is allowed.

“We understand that some of these numbers are odd, but we have to go off what we believe is the appropriate amount of space to properly socially distance from one another,” Hughes said. “Basketball will be very hard to supervise because everyone goes to rebound after a shot and if multiple participants are at one basket, there will be times that players will come within six feet of each other. All I can ask is that you are patient with the staff as we too are learning about what is best for our members.”

The game room can have up to five participants, while the track is limited to eight and the family locker rooms are open but limited to one person at a time.

Children under the age of 16 are not permitted to be in the facility and members must wash hands upon entering the building and sign a COVID-19 waiver.

Hughes said members must stay six feet apart at all times and must clean and disinfect workout stations after every use.

The hours of operations will vary slightly from the spring/fall hours but be very similar to the summer hours. The Newton Y will be open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

“The members are eager to get back in here and work on their health and fitness,” Hughes said. “Newton is made up of some of the most giving and big-hearted individuals in Iowa. We have loyal and committed members here at the Newton YMCA because they believe in our mission.

“The biggest advice I can give is to be patient, understanding and accepting of how the Y is responding to this crisis. We are only doing what we feel is going to create the safest environment for our members.”

Anytime Fitness’ facility is open 24 hours. It uses two separate doors for entry, one for members and one for guests. The door for guests is open only during regular building hours.

The club also is asking its members to maintain a six foot distance while working out and are asking members to wash hands before and after your workout. Hand sanitizers are also available.

The Anytime Fitness staff is asking members to wipe down equipment before and after use and avoid using machines next to ones that are already being used if those machines are not six feet apart. The staff has spaced out the club’s machine weights more and PPE masks are available for free but not required to use. The two shower rooms are open.

Anytime Fitness is also asking members to stay home if they feel ill, have any symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

The Newton News reached out to Anytime Fitness for comments, but the club declined.

Contact Troy Hyde at
641-792-3121 ext. 6536 or thyde@newtondailynews.com