The mayor of Port Hawkesbury says town officials will run the gym in the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre when reps with the YMCA of Cape Breton shut down their local branch.
Brenda Chisholm-Beaton says the town owns most of the equipment in the gym, so they’ll continue to operate the fitness centre past the YMCA withdrawal Feb. 22.
During February’s regular town council meeting Tuesday night, Terry Doyle, the town’s chief administrative officer, described their plan to consult with residents and gather information before they present a full, short-term plan for approval of councillors Feb. 18.
After the meeting, Chisholm-Beaton said the facility is important for the community.
“We want to minimize any disruption to the health regiment of our citizens and their health and wellness.”
Chisholm-Beaton said their short-term goal is to operate the fitness centre at a break-even level.
She said they hope it will become profitable long-term.
“It’s all about sustainability and aiming for a break-even scenario,” she said. “We don’t (want to) put any undue burden on our taxpayers.”
Chisholm-Beaton said the fitness centre is too important not to continue operating.
