It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jamestown Community College will close JCC Total Fitness to the public on Feb. 1.

Many city residents likely have no idea that the little marketed service is available on the Jamestown campus. It hasn’t been well advertised, and public habits changed after a lengthy state-mandated closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. College officials say they spent three years trying to rebuild membership, but participation remains too low to pay the costs to keep JCC Total Fitness open to the public. While Total Fitness had increased membership by 50 customers to 180 since COVID, that number isn’t enough for JCC officials to keep the center open to the public.

It’s the second decision in a year that makes little sense from the outside looking in. It’s important to eye efficiencies, but it didn’t appear that the college was making much effort to draw new customers into JCC Total Fitness. And, with the college and Jamestown YMCA still eyeing a partnership that will result in the YMCA moving its downtown branch to the Falconer Street college campus, keeping a gym open in the area would seem to make sense. In fact, it’s logical to ask whether or not the YMCA could operate JCC Total Fitness and handle marketing and oversight for JCC until the YMCA’s capital project is finished.

The timing is also incongruous. County taxpayers are being asked to spend $3 million for the county’s share of new athletic fields at JCC while approving $195,000 the college had requested to pay for design of the combined $44 million athletic fields/YMCA project. There’s nothing like asking for public money and then taking action to close an offering to that same public.

But there is a bigger nit to pick here.

Earlier this year JCC announced plans to charge high school students for courses they take through the college. At the time we wondered if it was a move that would backfire by decreasing the number of high school students exposed to JCC while they are making their college decisions. College Connections, like JCC Total Fitness, was an avenue to bring people to the campus either in person or virtually. The College Connections decision taken in concert with closing JCC Total Fitness has to make the public wonder whether community still fits in JCC’s name.