As the weather gets warmer and the lockdown begins to loosen, many folks in and around the Whitewater area will begin to crave getting out more and enjoying the day. For those looking to get out of the house and to get some exercise, or go for some swimming even, the Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center will no doubt have you covered. 

The facility started open family swims Saturday, Mar. 6 in addition to various virtual classes such as cycling, yoga, morning mini boot camp, pound fitness, Zumba and Tabata, which is high-intensity workout training. Like other facilities in Whitewater, the center went through major changes to remain open during COVID-19 and is staying on track through the pandemic by following protocols. 

“Prior to COVID we obviously didn’t have any capacity caps or mask requirements and had up to 50 to 70 people visiting a day, but now its been very limited,” said service coordinator Lorelei Bowen.

Along with her staff, they have been doing their best to ensure COVID-19 guidelines are being met in order to ensure the safety of visitors to the facility. 

While many hoped for the facility to one day fully reopen once again, Lorelei Bowen was also optimistic in doing so, but understandably did not have a specific date for when exactly that would happen.

“A decision like that would be made final by the Parks & Recreation board of Whitewater, and we would very much like to follow what they say,” said Bowen.

Bowen also spoke optimistically about some measures already being taken by the facility to loosen restrictions.

“We’re slowly starting to bring back some programs for the center, but our main focus is still on keeping our visitors safe and following along with the city’s plan,” she said. 

So while visitors to the facility may experience limited access and hours to programs like the leisure pool and cycling classes provided by the facility, the employees working at the facility are pretty optimistic about how the facility is running.

“We absolutely love our patrons, and we’re happy to still see them coming to use the facility despite the circumstances,” said fitness instructor Lynette Brown who teaches her fitness classes via Zoom calls. “It’s obviously a very different experience, but I’m just happy to continue working with the customers in any way I can.”

At the end of the day, the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center may still be under the same lockdown measures as every other place in the state, but, the optimism and friendliness create an unparalleled welcoming environment for its patrons, especially as spring time rolls around and more people desire to get out. 

“We’re doing the best we can, and we will continue to do the best we can to provide people the best service possible in these times,” said Bowen.

And so, with an happy staff and a good outlook into future operations, the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center is happy to help put a spring in anyone’s step as the new season rolls around. 

For those interested in learning more about the Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center visit https://whitewater.recdesk.com/Community/Page?pageId=10133. 

Gallery • 3 Photos

Dane Sheehan

Front desk staff member Taylor Addotta (Left) and aquatics and fitness programer Lorelei Bowen sit behind a protective shield just inside the facility's temporary main entrance.