Four Out of Five City Recreation Facilities Depleting General Fund

All but one of Rohnert Park’s recreation facilities are costing the city’s general fund more money to keep open than they are taking in. The , , swimming pools and are operating at a $195,221 loss so far this fiscal year, according to the city’s mid-year budget review.

is the only facility operating in the black. It has a $4,374 surplus this year, mostly because of gym memberships.

Guy Miller, the recreation services manager for the city, said operating Callinan as if it were a private business has been the key to the center's success.

The foremost reason the gym is able to turn a profit is because most memberships are debited right from members’ bank accounts, and that decreases the likelihood that people will cancel memberships even if they stop going, according to Miller.

“We’re on track to make between $75,000 and $80,ooo this year,” Miller said. “We could give our memberships away, but then we'd probably be faced with being shut down like some of the other facilities in the city.”

The city started electronically debiting bank accounts for gym memberships two years ago.

“It’s helped our cash flow tremendously,” he said.

People sign up during the busy months, like after the holidays, and then they stop going. But it’s less convenient for someone to go out of his or her way to cancel the membership, so the city keeps taking in that money. Then when summer starts, they’ll start to come back and work out again, Miller said.

“We’re only talking $25 a month,” Miller added. “We’re bringing in more money than we anticipated … about $125,000 a year than back before we did [electronic debiting].”

The sports center has a collegiate sized gym that is large enough to play a couple of full-court basketball games, and is used for that along with Volleyball and indoor soccer.

If team sports aren't your thing, there are two “tournament-quality” racquetball courts for use by reservation.

No gym is really a gym without exercise equipment. Callinan also has elliptical trainers, treadmills, Stairmasters and stationary bikes housed in a 4,600 square foot room that includes the latest in Nautilus training for strength and conditioning.

Are you serious about weight training? Callinan’s free weight room is equipped with over 3,000 pounds of Olympic-style barbells and dumbbells. They also have a Smith machine and different types of benches to get all of your muscles pumped.

The sports center also offers full use of the locker rooms, loaded with showers, day-use lockers and a dry sauna for members.

Don’t have a sitter? There’s a daycare and indoor playground too. Childcare is open Monday through Friday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for just $2 per child.

The indoor playground is open from Monday through Friday from 11:15 a.m. to 3 p.m., and costs $2 per child, but they must be supervised by an adult or sibling age 16 and up.

Monthly membership fees range from $14 to $24 for individual memberships, and $55 for a family membership. The monthly dues are automatically debited from your bank account.

If monthly billing isn't your thing, you can always pay annually in advance for the same monthly charge. Annual charges range from $168 to $288 for adults and $660 for family memberships.

"It's better than most of the gyms in the area," said Rohnert Park resident Steve Bernardi, who attends four nights a week for cardio and weight training. While there may have been comparable gyms to join, Bernardi said he goes to Callinan because prices are "off the hook.”

Amanda S., who moved to Rohnert Park a year ago, had a different reason for joining. "I like the community gyms better," she said. "I like that it's ran by the city of Rohnert Park versus, like 24-Hour Fitness and all that. I like that it's a local place and I like that they have the open gym."

Daniel Marino of Oakland and David Michalik of Petaluma come to Callinan for the raquetball courts.

Both explained that the center is the only place convenient for the two to meet up for their routine competition with each other. They could’ve chosen another club that has racquetball courts, but Michalik said "the Airport Club or the Petaluma Racquet Club, they're 200 bucks a month, and they're not that good ... and the price is good here."

"Any [money] we've made, we typically put right back into the facility the next year."

Miller said Callinan has about 2,500 members.

The Sports and Fitness Center is open Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here to get a free seven-day pass.