Dec. 24--Genesis Health Clubs of Wichita has purchased the former shopping plaza that in the past housed ALCO and Office Depot, at Ninth and Cloud streets, and plans to turn it into a health and fitness center and indoor tennis center.
The fitness and tennis center will occupy about 60,000 square feet of the 95,000 square-foot shopping center. Current building tenants Big Lots and Harbor Freight will remain in their present locations, said Rodney Steven, president and owner of Genesis.
Steven said he plans to add 25,000 square feet to the east and west sides of the main building to accommodate a five-court tennis facility and pro shop.
The cost of the remodeling project is expected to exceed $7 million, and the new center is expected to employ about 40 people, Steven said.
"You guys have a big tennis community in Salina," said Steven, 36, a former Division I collegiate tennis player at Southern Illinois University. "It's been that way since I was a kid. For years I've been looking at Salina, wanting to do a health club."
Genesis, whose four Wichita locations make it that city's largest private health club, opened its fifth location in Hutchinson in October 2006. Its clubs include cardiovascular workout equipment, Pilates and yoga classes, locker rooms, smoothie bars, pro shops and a wide variety of classes free with Genesis membership.
Other features planned for the Salina facility include three group fitness studios, two racquetball courts, plasma video monitors/DVD players on each cardio machine, stretching areas and a cycling studio. Observers will be able to watch action on the five tennis courts from a viewing room overlooking the tennis center.
"People ask why do this in a down economy? I believe exercise is something we have to do," Steven said. "If our economy is going to thrive, a lot of it will be based on us being healthy. And I believe we have the miracle pill, which is exercise."
Steven is related to the Steven family that founded and operates a chain of 24 Spangles hamburger restaurants. The family also operates the Little Joe's Car Wash chain.
Plan could revitalize area
Steven said he started negotiating the purchase of the Salina shopping center two years ago with the property owners, the Ohio-based Cafaro Company real estate holding company.
His plan is to have clearance to start construction in no later than 60 days, and to have the health club portion inside the existing building nearly complete within three months after that. He hopes to have the whole facility finished before the end of 2009.
The exterior will be remodeled to match Genesis' other clubs, and the parking area will be refinished, he said. There will be an additional tenant space in the building that Steven says he will try to fill by leasing the space to another business.
The main portion of the shopping center has been vacant since its last tenant, Office Depot, closed its Salina store several years ago. Steven said he thinks his building plan has potential to revitalize the whole neighborhood.
Genesis clubs have the highest quality amenities, he said, such as granite countertops and shower stalls, beautiful locker rooms with wood lockers, and the best equipment and personal trainers. Each facility has between eight and 12 full-time personal trainers, he said.
Genesis affected Hutch Y
Its Wichita clubs have a $100 enrollment fee and a variety of membership plans ranging from month-to-month to annual memberships. The monthly membership should be in the $40 range, Steven said.
When Genesis opened its Hutchinson health and fitness center -- which doesn't include a tennis center -- the Hutchinson Family YMCA took on its first large competitor in the local fitness market.
"We're at about 5,200 members. We were probably at 5,600 members and change before Genesis moved in," said Hutchinson YMCA Executive Director Kirby List.
The Hutchinson YMCA charges a monthly rate of $47 for a family membership and $34 for single adults. The Salina YMCA charges $52.99 monthly for family memberships and $36.32 for single adults. It also has a range of fees for youth, high school and corporate rates.
Winter hours at Salina's YMCA are from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Genesis' tentative operating hours would be from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays through Thursday; 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
Salina YMCA executive director Phil Guries could not be reached Tuesday for comment for this story.
Indoor tennis welcomed
Right now, an indoor tennis facility in Salina sounds wonderful, said Max Shepard, a former Salina men's league player.
"About eight months a year you can play outdoors. Of course in the summer you've got the wind, and the heat and so forth. For me, that's part of the fun of it," he said. "If we had the ability, depending on pricing, we'd sure take advantage (of indoor courts) from time to time."
His wife, Shirlene, who captains a Salina women's league team, said cost is a limiting factor for many to play at Salina's only indoor tennis facility, The Pines, located at 551 S. Holmes Road. The two-court indoor center was built by Salina radiologist Dwayne De Turk in about 2000.
"We were in Wichita at Thanksgiving and driving by Genesis and it's funny -- we said if we had one of those in Salina we'd both belong," Shirlene Shepard said.
A larger indoor facility could also provide adult league and school teams with a backup place to play matches in the spring if it's raining, Shirlene Shepard said.
Said James LoVullo, Central High School's boy's tennis coach: "It's been needed. I think people would be surprised how many tennis enthusiasts there are in Salina. And there are just as many school age players as there are adults. There are a lot of talented adults around here who play tennis. I think it's a great move."
Central High this year completed a new eight-court outdoor tennis complex, at a cost of $680,000. Private contributors gave $160,000 to help fund the project, with the balance paid by the Salina School District through capital outlay funds.
Top tennis town
"There's no question the popularity of tennis in Salina is evident from the number of players in our tournament, and at the high school and junior high level," said Clark Renfro, president of UMB National Bank of America, 100 S. Santa Fe. The bank is the sponsor for each summer's UMB Saline County Tennis Championships. "You can arguably say that Salina, if not the top, is one of the top tennis towns in Kansas and in the Midwest. This (indoor center) just adds the opportunity to add on to that tradition."
Many Salina school and adult team members already go to Genesis' indoor tennis facility in Wichita to play during the winter off-season, LoVullo said.
"I'm sure they're well aware of how many kids take lessons down there. And I'm sure they're well aware of how many ladies' and men's teams play there. They keep seeing Salina come up on their radar," he said.
It will depend on how much Genesis charges as to how tennis players in Salina respond, said Cliff Metzger, who helps coordinate Play Tennis Salina, a group of amateur players who get together weekly during summers to play for fun and fellowship.
"It seems like we've got a tennis base in Salina, but I don't know how much money they're willing to put up for it," Metzger said. "But it's a great opportunity."
