fitnessuser (user 158) - Comments by Date

To Whom It May Concern:

I recommend that you reconsider the proposed fees to use the fitness centers at recreation centers. These fees should NOT be initiated for the following reasons:

As a taxpayer, I feel that this is one of the few services that I directly benefit from, and it is very disappointing to me that this benefit will soon be diminished.

Second, charging to use the fitness center but not other areas of the recreation center is arbitary; there is no obvious distinction between running on the treadmill and shooting some hoops, and it is quite unfair to charge some users of the recreation center and not others.

Third, the recreation centers are used by a lot of low- or lower-income residents of the city. Many people in our city cannot afford private gym memberships, and this fitness center provides an important service for those who could not otherwise afford it. Given the obesity crisis and other public health problems plaguing our nation (and including the city of Alexandria), providing a public fitness center at no cost is an important government function. The likely consequence of charging this fee is that those people who need the public fitness center the most will no longer have access.

Finally, the amount of income expected to be generated by this initiative ($30,000) is quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things, considering that the total budget is more than $534,000,000. It is not worth the costs that individuals would have to bear with paying the fees.

fitnessuser (158) | User | April 28, 2010 - 6:19 PM | FY 2011 Budget Process

fitnessuser (user 158) - Comments by Board

FY 2011 Budget Process

To Whom It May Concern:

I recommend that you reconsider the proposed fees to use the fitness centers at recreation centers. These fees should NOT be initiated for the following reasons:

As a taxpayer, I feel that this is one of the few services that I directly benefit from, and it is very disappointing to me that this benefit will soon be diminished.

Second, charging to use the fitness center but not other areas of the recreation center is arbitary; there is no obvious distinction between running on the treadmill and shooting some hoops, and it is quite unfair to charge some users of the recreation center and not others.

Third, the recreation centers are used by a lot of low- or lower-income residents of the city. Many people in our city cannot afford private gym memberships, and this fitness center provides an important service for those who could not otherwise afford it. Given the obesity crisis and other public health problems plaguing our nation (and including the city of Alexandria), providing a public fitness center at no cost is an important government function. The likely consequence of charging this fee is that those people who need the public fitness center the most will no longer have access.

Finally, the amount of income expected to be generated by this initiative ($30,000) is quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things, considering that the total budget is more than $534,000,000. It is not worth the costs that individuals would have to bear with paying the fees.

fitnessuser (158) | User | April 28, 2010 - 6:19 PM