Update: For members that are looking to reserve a time for the fitness centers, sign up sheets will be placed outside the entrance to each facility for members to sign up for the next day. Sign up sheets for Palm Ridge will be made available Sunday, Aug. 30, while R.H. Johnson sign up sheets will be made available Wednesday, Sept. 2.
With the Arizona Department of Health Services announcement today that community associations are authorized to reopen and operate indoor fitness centers/gyms, the Recreation Centers of Sun City West will be opening the Palm Ridge Fitness Center on Monday, Aug. 31, and R.H. Johnson Fitness Center on Thursday, Sept. 3.
This includes the indoor pool at Palm Ridge and the Activities Center (racquetball, table tennis, mini golf and bocce) at R.H. Johnson.
The Rec Centers has been planning for this eventuality for weeks, rescheduling employees from Beardsley and Kuentz recreation centers to meet the increased demands from the state for reopening. This includes staff dedicated to frequent cleanings and symptom/temperature checks at the newly opened facilities.
All members entering the fitness center/pool lobbies will be screened with contactless thermometers, regardless of whether they are entering a gym, pool or indoor walking track. The county mask mandate is still in effect, so no one will be allowed entry without a mask. Additionally, guests will not be allowed for the foreseeable future.
Hours of operation (seven days a week) will be as follows:
- Palm Ridge Swim and Fitness: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (includes walking track and indoor pools)
- RH Johnson Swim and Fitness: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (includes massage if massage therapists are operating)
- RH Johnson Activities Center: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Rec Centers will operate at lower capacity, as follows:
- Fitness Centers: 10 members plus two fitness trainers and two trainees
- RH Johnson Outdoor Pool: 80
- Palm Ridge Outdoor Pool: 60
- Palm Ridge Indoor Walking Pool: 20
- Palm Ridge Indoor Lap Pool: 12
- Palm Ridge Indoor Walking Track: 20
Kuentz and Beardsley will remain closed. (Clubs at Kuentz and Beardsley that were opened earlier remain open.) Kuentz is undergoing a major renovation and expansion; Beardsley will reopen at a later date if usage numbers at the other centers dictate a third center is needed.
Fitness Center users must sign up in advance to use the equipment in one-hour intervals. Between each one hour block, a half hour is reserved for staff to sanitize the entire gym and equipment. Additional cleaning will occur on the equipment between users, per ADHS.
The last phase of the Rec Centers reopening plan involves the social clubs and those such as dancing, exercise and others that require physical interaction. The fitness and exercise clubs that will be permitted to resume classes will be contacted by the Office of the Recreational Activities Manager regarding reopening. Changes in times and locations may be needed to accommodate hours of operation and mandated opening procedures.
Some clubs that opened earlier have announced they are voluntarily closing. Check suncitywest.com/covid19
for the latest on club openings.
Watch for all the latest at suncitywest.com/covid19 and sign up for the enews at suncitywest.com/enews.
Will you need to wear a mask while exercising or walking the indoor track?
Hi Chris. Members will be required to wear a mask while at the fitness centers/walking tracks as the county mask mandate is still in effect.
It’s a mask MANDATE…..not a LAW. You “powers that be” have to get up off of your “thrones” and let us decide what is best for us. After all, I think we’re ADULTS. Doesn’t 55 and over qualify for that???????? This garbage has been going on for 5 months with everything closed. When do we get our Rec. Dues refunds ??
Judy,
So you are over 55 and an adult. So when are you going to start acting like one? Wearing a mask is the responsible thing to do and as an “adult” you should be complying gladly to protect others and yourself. As for providing a refund for your dues, this virus was not the caused by nor the responsibility of the Rec Center. They have worked very hard to protect our residents from a potentially deadly result. Their costs have not gone down. They are not lining their pockets with extra cash. We are all in this together. It’s time people like you start acting like adults and doing your part without complaint.
I agree with Judy’s concern regarding the masks. The science doesn’t support the use of masks. And it’s healthy to have, and express, differences of opinion. No need to be angry or afraid.
Well said Mike!!
Well said. So many whiners in SCW. Kudos to the Rec Center Admin for all they are doing
Mike, Well said and thank you!
Mark, Adults make up their own minds as to what’s best for them. I am acting like one. Seems if you don’t know what’s best for you, follow the flock.
Thanks Mike. Well said
Thank You for your educated response. As documented and evidenced by Science, wearing masks appropriately (covering the nose and mouth) absolutely prevents the spread of Covid-19.
Sure would like some thing back in dues for the closure times, only fair to us!!!
If you don’t want to wear a mask stay home! There are several cases of Covid-19 in and around the recreation centers.
Sorry that wearing a mask is too hard for you 🥺
I suggest you stay home because if you don’t want to wear a mask, I don’t want to be anywhere near you.
I agree with Judy. We are adults indeed living in a free country. Not in China, Russia or Iran. Have some respect for our ability to make our own decisions of what’s good for us.
Regarding the fitness centers, Let me remind you that each member practices the common courtesy of disinfecting gym equipment after every use, no need to close down the gym every hour for a full cleaning process.
Also, I agree that we all should get a reduction in our rec fee. The facilities not being used must have had some utility cost savings that could be passed down to the members in the form of a refund or fee reduction for next year. It baffles me on how poorly the rec center finances are managed. It doesn’t feel right that the rec center board and gm exercise its power over all the residence by reminding us that we are obligated to pay the annual fee (which they determine) based on the agreement signed with every home purchase regardless if we use the facilities or not. The fact is that the rec centers have been closed by our gm and the governor and not been made available to us. We all should receive some sort of compensation.
While we members have all suffered with the closure of the rec centers for many months has the GM and admin staff continued to receive full salary compensation????
Regards,
Robert
Court ruling in Florida: the Mask Ordinance’s mandate … and that the requirement to swear such a covering has a clear rational basis based on the protection of public health.” More to the point, the Court continued, “constitutional rights and the ideals of limited government do not … allow (citizens) to wholly shirk their social obligation to their fellow Americans or to society as a whole…. After all, we do not have a constitutional right to infect others.”
The mask mandate has been highly effective at mitigation evidenced by the data. If more people had access or recommendations to read information by the Arizona Health Department and Johns Hopkins there would be less resistance to the mask mandate and other interventions needed to keep us safe.
Masks are worn out of respect for others. Deal with it or stay home.
Do you have to sign up to use the indoor track or can you just show up and if there are too many people you will be told no
Great question! And do we have to wear a mask while walking?
Answered above by RSCW staff. Yes, masks are required. Maricopa County requires masks in all inside buildings.
Hi Chuck. The indoor walking track at Palm Ridge is currently on a first-come, first-serve basis. Depending on the usage of the walking track, a reservation system may be put in place to meet capacity needs.
The line dance club does NOT have physical interaction of any kind. I have line danced in sun city west for over 20 years and I am sure I have never touched another dancer.
We can reserve tennis and pickleball times on-line through the portal. I’m sure many members appreciate it.
How about giving us the same on-line convenience for the fitness centers? and why not for everything else that requires a reservation too?
I agree, there should be an online way to sign up for fitness centers. It’s crazy to make people go in person to sign up on paper. It will encourage folks to go inside without reserving “while I’m here”.
Can we bring guests?
Hi Nancy. Guests will not be allowed for the foreseeable future.
Since no equipment is used with the walking track do you still need to sign up because of capacity limitations?
When will the locker rooms be open if you can use the bathroom why not the locker rooms are you just trying to save money so you don’t have to have anybody clean them and since we now have two facilities closed that’s kind of dumb we’ve always only done one facility at a time
Hi Mike. The indoor walking track at Palm Ridge is currently on a first-come, first-serve basis. Depending on the usage of the walking track, a reservation system may be put in place to meet capacity needs.
What is the mask protocol while swimming?
That’s funny !
The equip @ Beardsley fitness Ctr is different than the others & greatly desired. Why can’t Beardsley reopen?
Hi Debbie. Beardsley and Palm Ridge both share the same Matrix cardio equipment as well as the same Cybex Eagle strength training line. Other than a few special pieces at each facility, the equipment is about 95% identical.
Beardsley is currently closed as monitors and staff from there will be moved to Palm Ridge and R.H. Johnson to help meet the staffing requirements of ADHS guidelines.
Why is the Palm Ridge indoor pool opening but not the Beardsley Pool?
Great question.
Hi Marsha. Beardsley rec center is currently closed as all monitors and facility staff from there are needed at Palm Ridge and R.H. Johnson in order to meet the requirements of the ADHS guidelines, which requires additional staff at Palm Ridge and R.H. Johnson.
It’s a mask MANDATE…..not a LAW. You “powers that be” have to get up off of your “thrones” and let us decide what is best for us. After all, I think we’re ADULTS. Doesn’t 55 and over qualify for that???????? This garbage has been going on for 5 months with everything closed. When do we get our Rec. Dues refunds ??
When you don’t wear a mask I run the risk of contacting the virus. I want you to wear a mask to protect me.
Thank you for your comments Judy. It’s people like you who have caused this problem to begin with. The Rec centers are following CDC guidelines. Is the whole world wrong about this virus? The cost of running this community is high if you don’t like it here maybe it’s time to move on