Lakeside opens community wellness center

By LEXIE DIGBY
Lakeside Chautauqua

On Saturday, May 26, Lakeside celebrated the grand opening of the Wellness Center at the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus, a long-awaited project funded by the 2016 capital campaign that raised nearly $4 million.

“It was amazing that in 15 months, this community raised $3.5 million,” said the Rev. Dr. Ned Dewire, director of Religious Life & Church Outreach. “That’s unbelievable at any nonprofit across the United States.”

After the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m., the doors to the Wellness Center remained open for guests to explore the new facility. The Center includes two main rooms: Drackett Hall, the large multi-purpose room on the east side of the building which will serve the community as a site for exercise classes, private parties, meetings or educational opportunities; and the Magruder Fitness Room, which includes treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes and weights.

“Wellness and health permeates our society,” said Bill Drackett, Lakeside Chautauqua Foundation Chair. “The community saw the need for this aspect at Lakeside. We’ve never had a swimming pool of this nature, and we’ve never had a combined center for fitness and wellness. This facility really brings it all together and creates a tremendous

synergy.”

The need for the pool and Wellness Center was identified in the early stages of a master plan that Lakeside was just beginning. After an especially bad algal bloom in 2015, the community vocalized and prioritized a facility such as this.

“The community assessment was a driving factor,” said Kevin Sibbring, Lakeside Chautauqua President/CEO. “Engaging the community and understanding where their needs are and what desires they have, both for a pool and wellness center, was critical. And then again coming back to the community to ask for financial support, so we can turn a vision into a reality, was the key component to the success of the project.”

With the opening of the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus, which consists of a 6,000-square-foot swimming pool and 4,000-square-foot Wellness Center, Lakeside is excited to offer expanded health and wellness opportunities. Along with the already established recreational activities, the Wellness Center will host classes such as tai chi, yoga, cardio, strength training and more.

In collaboration with Magruder Hospital, Lakeside is also using the Wellness Center as a site for bi-weekly wellness seminars as a way for residents and guests alike to more holistically incorporate health and wellness into their daily routines. Seminar topics will include nutrition and healthy eating, stress management, wellness for children and more. Before the gates are in operation (through Friday, June 15), all individuals with a Season Chautauqua Pass are permitted access to the pool and Wellness Center. For those without a season pass, daily access to the pool will cost $10 for age 13

and up, and $2 for ages 3-12. Children age 2 and under are free. Daily access to the Wellness Center will cost $7 for all individuals ages 14 and up. After the gates go into operation, beginning Saturday, June 16, access to the pool and Wellness

Center will be granted with a season or daily Chautauqua Pass.

For information on admission to the pool and Wellness Center, and for rules and regulations, www.lakesideohio.com/recreation/grindley-aquatic-and-wellness-campus.

Lexie Digby is marketing and design manager for Lakeside Chautauqua, 419-798-4461, ext. 345, ldigby@lakesideohio.com.