Deal Reached To Save Orland Park Fitness Club
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Palos Community Hospital and Orland Park have reached an agreement to save a hospital-run fitness center that was supposed to close in a few weeks.
A lot of people were unhappy when it was announced the Palos Health and Fitness Club would be shutting down, especially members who regularly use the center's warm water therapy pool.
Palos Community Hospital, which ran the fitness club, needed the space to expand its primary care center at the corner of 153rd Street and West Avenue in Orland Park, but Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin said the village plans to take over the center, and won't need to spend millions of dollars to build a new pool as the village had intended.
In exchange, the hospital will get to expand west onto land owned by the village, according to the Daily Southtown.
"The idea of taking this pool over, and avoiding that huge cost for a brand new facility is another win for the village," McLaughlin said.
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Fitness club member Mary Ellen Smolinski was among those who objected to the hospital's plan to close the center. She especially wanted the lap pool and the warm water therapy pool to stay open.
"I'm very excited; and very, very happy," she said.
Members were worried about the plan to close the club, because the closest warm water therapy pool is more than 20 miles away in Woodridge.
"For me, it means that I continue the exercises that are so important to my MS. I go for MS aqua and MS yoga," Smolinski said.
Orland Park will take on the pool as a Recreation Department amenity.
