North Myrtle Beach celebrated the past, present and future of the city’s Aquatic and Fitness Center on a Thursday, Oct. 30.
City officials and employees gathered in front of the Aquatic and Fitness Center to mark its 20th anniversary and to announce expansion plans.
Perhaps no one was more pleased than Mayor Marilyn Hatley, an original advocate for the facility.
“It was a dream of mine and a dream come true,” Hatley said. “I want to thank everybody who had a part or has a part in making the Aquatics and Fitness so successful.”
Artist renditions of the expansion were on easels in front of a tent set up for the celebration.
An artist rendition shows the expansion plan for the Aquatic and Fitness Center in North Myrtle Beach.
The additions include a 3,479-square-foot activity room, an auxiliary gymnasium, a 2,462-square-foot aerobics room, a 720-square foot-turfed outdoor play area, a 4,000-square-foot fitness room expansion, a 1,071-square-foot dedicated stretching area, new boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, and the renovation and expansion of the men’s and women’s locker rooms.
“It really is a blessing in our community,” said NMB Parks and Recreation Director Matt Gibbons, who announced the expansion plans. “Today is not just about the last 20 years. It’s about looking at the future.”
Gibbons said the project is in the design phase and will hopefully be put out for bid in late spring or early summer.
Hatley recalled her efforts long ago to persuade the city council to go along with the original project.
“They were a little reluctant at first,” Hatley said. “The more we brought it back to council, the more they realized that, yes, this is something that we need.”
Plans for the expansion of the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic and Fitness Center are shown at an event announcing the project.
The demand proved to be there. Gibbons said the center has 5,200 members.
“In those 20 years, I don’t think anyone would have expected it to become as essential in everyone’s day-to-day lives,” said Ryan Fabbri, North Myrtle Beach city manager. “No one could see that coming.”
Equally enthusiastic is retired longtime Aquatic and Fitness Center Director Melinda Chappell, who will be helping with the expansion. Chappell was often heard in radio advertisements saying: “It’s awesome”, which is the center’s slogan.
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