Although the new Cub Run Rec Center in Chantilly won't open its doors to the public until March, employees are working feverishly behind the scenes to ensure that everything's in tip-top shape and ready to go.
"We're really excited about the rec center," said Tammy Schwab, the naturalist there. "We hope the experiences provided will encourage people to have a lifetime of fitness and activity."
"THE REC CENTER is going to be fabulous," added Doreen Henry, the facility's manager. "It's going to be a great addition to this community."
They spoke recently at the quarterly meeting of the West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA), and both bubbled with enthusiasm.
The $19.2 million, 94,000-square-foot rec center is under construction on 37.3 acres just north of Westfield High, bounded by Stonecroft Boulevard and Cub Run. It will house a 25-meter competitive pool, separate leisure pool with slides and other amenities, whirlpool/spa, weight training and cardiovascular fitness areas, multipurpose rooms and offices. (Future plans include a second 25-meter pool, as funding materializes).
Schwab said the leisure pool will be 4,860 square feet, and the competitive pool will have seating for 175 people. Swim lessons will be offered for children, ages 6 months-13 years.
"That leisure pool will provide a place for children to swim and for senior citizens to do aerobic exercise," said Henry. "It'll have warmer water than in the competitive pool." In the competitive pool, swimming lessons will be given Saturday mornings until noon, and then recreational swimming will take over.
As for the 9,600-square-foot fitness area, Schwab said it will have a "wireless entertainment system you can use while working out. There'll also be group exercise classes where you can take as few or as many classes as you want." However, racquetball will not be offered because, she said, "It's not as popular as it once was."
Noting that the Cub Run Rec Center is "right on the cusp of the Sully Woodlands" [park area], Schwab said the surrounding property features pristine woodlands, meadows and streams. And, she added, this is the first time a naturalist is part of a Fairfax County rec center.
"There'll be an interpretive trail from the Rec Center to the Cub Run Stream Valley and a paved road from the high school to just past the rec center," she said. "And eventually, there'll be trails linking to the trails at Quinn Farms, the cross-county trail system and to Pleasant Valley trails."
THE AREA will lend itself to school field trips, Scouts working on badges, nature study for adults and classes for children and adults, both. Schwab said classes will include martial arts, dance and even dog obedience.
A 270-square-foot party room may be rented. And with 3,000- and 1,700-square-foot multipurpose rooms available for classes, she said, "Just about anything you can imagine, we probably have a program for it. Right now, we're scheduling classes to begin March 28."
Regarding admission, adults ages 19-50 will pay $6.20 each for a one-time visit. But there'll be many other options, including special rates for large groups. It works out to 70 cents/person/day in a four-person family, or people may buy passes for a certain number of visits.
"I came from the South Run Rec Center, and customer service was my No. 1 priority," said Henry. "I'm here to meet the community's needs and provide the best service you've ever seen."
She said the staff includes an aquatics director, a fitness director and assistants. Seasonal staff will vary, depending on class offerings and the classes' popularity. "I currently have 150 seasonal, part-time positions, ranging from two to 20 hours a week," she said. "And we have a front-desk manager to oversee registration and front-desk operations."
Virginia Run's Jim Hart asked if any preference would be given to Fairfax County residents vs. Loudoun County residents during class sign-ups. "There'll be discounted rates for residents," said Henry. "We'll charge others an additional $10 for classes."
"This has been a concern of ours since [the rec center is] so close to South Riding," said Hart. "It's our land and we're paying for it, and it ought to favor Fairfax." Replied Henry: "We'll look at it and, if it turns out they're booting out our people, then we'll do something about it."
Bull Run Estates' Judy Heisinger said she was disappointed that the rec center doesn't have a larger competitive pool and other amenities because the bond issue funding it wasn't large enough.
But Terry Spence of Rocky Run told Schwab and Henry, "People in my neighborhood are looking forward to this rec center. I think you've done a good job meeting the needs of the community."
"This is going to be something the community will be proud of," said Henry. "The other rec center managers are envious of me because of all the things this center has in it that theirs don't — such as an underwater, drowning-detection system and a cardio theater [TVs mounted in the cardiovascular area and some even in the strength-training area]. You can use your FM radio headphones to hear the 22 TVs in the fitness room."
Still, warned Bull Run Estates' Mark McConn, "You've got to keep a very tight rein on this. Otherwise, we'll be overrun by people from Loudoun County."
"Right now, we're only publicizing it in this county," said Henry. "And we're only giving deals to Fairfax County residents." The WFCCA's Carol Hawn recommended that the rec center keep good statistics and records, and Henry said it's easy to do so that "we'll know exactly where [the rec-center patrons] are coming from."
"We'll keep abreast of it," continued Henry. "We're going to make sure the Fairfax County citizens have the first priority."