Out with the old and in with new.
After almost 30 years in business, a local recreation club in Galt will close its doors for good next year after the city denied a lease extension.
The Southwood Fitness Club at 295 Cedar Creek Rd, Cambridge, is finally receiving a new staircase to replace the old decrepit one that for years acted as the gym's only entrance.
Unfortunately, members will only be able to use the new staircase for another year until the city shuts this location down for good.
Graham Ponting, 84, has been the president of the storied club since its beginning in 1993. He thinks the city has been neglecting the property in hopes of pushing the club and its over 150 members out of the building.
“We used to have a good relationship with the city,” said Ponting. “Now, we are treated so abysmally. We get no support from them.”
In late spring, a complaint was made by the club to the city about a dangerous wooden staircase on the exterior of the building.
According to Ponting, when the city came to do inspections, they shut the club down immediately.
“We thought we would only be shut down a few weeks. Well, a few weeks turned into a few months pretty quick,” he said.
The club, as Ponting describes it, “is like the 'Cheers' of gyms, where everybody knows your name.”
When first entering the club, it is deceivingly large on the inside. There are two squash courts, a sauna and a full gym with elliptical trainers and multiple weight sets.
“The community aspect is something that won’t be recreated at a major gym like the one they’re shutting us down for, there’s no way,” said Ponting.
The founders of Southwood Fitness purposefully built the gym with socialization and connecting the community in mind.
“It seems as though the city has forgotten that this is not just some building, it actually serves our community,” said a frustrated Ponting.
Pam Wolf is the city councillor for Ward 5 where Southwood 's located and said, the city has to take all the normal steps anyone else would to get the proper permits and engineering studies done.
“Because it's a city facility, we have to guarantee safety,” she added. “Unfortunately for most people, it takes longer than they wish in terms of getting that building permit.”
Wolf claims that the building would have to be renovated to meet the provincial accessibility code, which requires all municipally owned buildings to be fully accessible by 2025.
In this scenario, the fitness club would need to be fully renovated. This would include lowering light switches so people using a wheelchair can reach, installing an elevator and many other things to bring it up to code.
In letters from the city provided by Ponting to CambridgeToday, the total cost for the renovations would exceed $700,000.
Ponting also reached out to his local MPP at the time, Belinda Karahalios, who provided him with contrary information than what the city is claiming.
Karahalios sent him a response from the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility which read, “Existing buildings do not have to be retrofitted to conform with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act or the requirements of the building code.”
The city owned building started its life in the mid-1970s as a YMCA squash and recreation centre where Ponting was one of the original members. To this day it remains the only squash court in the city of Cambridge, and is old enough to be grandfathered in under this exception.
After learning this, Ponting became frustrated. In his view the city was misinterpreting the law in order to shut down a facility that was taking money from other projects they wanted to pursue.
“It just seems like they have been doing whatever they can for the last six years to get us out of here. Well, I guess they finally got what they wanted,” said Ponting.
Wolf has been an advocate for the fitness club, wanting to see it be expanded into a better seniors recreation facility.
“Downtown there is the David Durward Centre which is essentially just a basement with a small gym,” said Wolf.
She would like to see the Southwood club take over as the main senior recreation centre in the city.
This is unlikely to happen as all of the city’s money is tied up in building the new recreation facility on the other side of town, added Wolf.
The total monthly cost for the city to keep Southwood open is around $2,600. The club has spent over $50,000 on interior renovations to keep the building updated, according to Ponting.
He doesn’t feel like the city is fulfilling its contractual obligations to maintain the exterior of the building, despite all the effort they go through to provide members with the best experience possible.
“For some reason, a change of guard, I don't know, but the city stopped caring,” he said. “I've asked, what are the plans for the building? No one knows and I can't find anybody who will tell me.”
As of October 30, 2023, Southwood Fitness Centre will close its doors for good.
Allison Jones, a spokesperson for the City of Cambridge told CambridgeToday in an emailed response that the lease will be up next fall and not be renewed.
Ponting is okay with the fitness club closing, but wishes it didn’t have to end like this.
“With an amazing 30 years here in this building, it’s a shame to have to go out in these circumstances,” he added.
Ponting will continue to fight for the expansion of the club into a seniors recreation facility that can help retain most of their existing members.
He wants the club to serve the community he loves and create a social space for people to congregate and stay active.
