Gym Not Yet Ready to Reopen

As you might have seen, the State of Maine recently announced that gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to open on June 12 should they choose to do so. A “checklist” of requirements specific to gyms was also released with full implementation of all the new policies and procedures required to be in place prior to a facility opening to the public. You can view the full document here.

Upon careful review and lots of discussion, The Neighborhood House has determined that implementation of all of the requirements in this first version of the checklist is not possible for our space at this time. Therefore, our gym will still remain closed to the public. It’s worth noting that checklists for other industries have been amended periodically and we will follow the situation closely. If and when the requirements change and allow us to open the gym to our community in a safe and practical manner, we look forward to doing so.

Currently, State regulation allows the gym to be accessed by a trainer and individual client with masks and equipment sanitization in between sessions. That practice will continue for the time being. If you have questions about individual training, you can contact our Health & Fitness Director, Debra Neale.

We will also be implementing all of the new requirements necessary to safely hold classes in our Great Hall space. This will begin with Divine Play Yoga with Mike Bouscaren on Wednsday, June 17. Online registration will be required in advance and will be accessible on our website this coming Friday, June 12. We’re also very interested in adding additional class types, so if you are a certified instructor in any sort of fitness discipline and interested in offering a class, we would love to talk (276-5039) or via email.

An example of one of the State mandates we are currently unable to meet is the minimum of 14’ spacing between individuals using cardio machines and at least 6’ between all other pieces of equipment. Given our gym’s compact size, that sort of spacing simply isn’t possible.

Because of its size, the Great Hall can still safely accommodate up to 18 students spaced at 6’ apart for classes such as Divine Play Yoga.