Stephen Riczker, JCC Faculty Student Association executive director, is pictured last summer at Total Fitness in the Physical Education Complex. P-J file photo

SUNY Jamestown Community College is slowly working toward reopening its fitness center to the public. Questions regarding overnight access and the push to get community members back inside were brought up during a Board of Trustees meeting last week.

Trustees heard an update on Total Fitness, located in the Physical Education Complex and which had been shuttered at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The center provides a pool and track as well as a gym with weight machines, free weights and cardio machines, among other amenities.

Total Fitness already has reopened to students, faculty and staff who are members of the Faculty Student Association. Trustees were told that the center was expanding its hours of operation, signaling the completion of “Phase 1” of the multi-step plan that eventually will end with it open to the community through membership plans.

Trustee Wally Huckno questioned why it was taking so long to have “swipe cards” installed, allowing easier access to the facility. He noted that reopening Total Fitness to the public also will make for a good public relations move.

“I think it’s important that we have outreach to the public because, for many people, this is just a place down off East Second Street,” Huckno said, later adding, “The sooner we can implement swipe cards, cleaning it, the guards, whatever it takes, we should proceed with that.”

During the pandemic, the on-campus fitness facility frequently was used for vaccination clinics by the Chautauqua County Department of Health. At the time, new membership requests were put on hold and existing members were refunded their money.

JCC President Daniel DeMarte said Total Fitness has been available on a limited basis for members of the Jamestown Police Department and other public service organizations. It was brought up that the facility could open to the public by the end of the current school year in May or possibly June.

It was later discussed what it would take to allow 24/7 access to the exercise equipment, both for students and staff and the community. Talks included the need for closed-off sections at certain times, such as the pool, and a cleaning schedule.

One trustee asked if it was necessary for the fitness center to be open overnight. “Is there a reason it has to be open after 9?” the trustee asked. “Does it have to be open at 2 in the morning? I don’t know if it’s necessary, but I don’t know the conversations with the community that you’ve had.”

Regarding 24/7 access, DeMarte responded, “We’re not there yet. We’re trying to look at ways to do this in a smart, feasible, cost-effective way. This is one option that we’re going to explore to see if it makes sense. And it may not, but we’re going to look at it knowing that there are similar operations in the area. There is interest here from the members of the public that want to use the facility. We just need to be smart about how we go about that.”

Trustee James Griffin asked if there were other fitness centers in the Jamestown area and questioned why reopening JCC’s facility to the public seemed to be such an “important and urgent issue.”

He added, “I’m just curious why that is?”

Marie Carrubba responded that membership costs to Total Fitness are more attractive than other options locally.

“You’re talking about the rates for families and individuals (that) would be much, much more affordable than the (YMCA) is currently,” she said.

Nonetheless, Griffin said the college should be focusing on its students first.

“It’s a nice thing for the community but not a critical mission for the college,” he said. “It’s available for our students and our athletes right now? That’s critical, in my opinion.”

JCC, in a news release sent out last week, touted the successful completion of Phase 1 for Total Fitness.

“We were able to expand our hours of operation for students and JCC employees who are members of the Faculty Student Association in February,” said Steve Riczker, FSA executive director, who added that he is exploring funding to upgrade equipment and refresh the space.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding, as we work toward being the most competitive fitness center in the area in terms of cost and availability,” he continued. “We’re aiming for community members to be able to join in June.”

Hours for the track and fitness center are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Pool hours are 6-8 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, and also 4-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The center is open in its entirety from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. on Sundays. The schedule will remain when the facility opens to the community, Riczker said.