The day finally came when residents could use the equipment and space at the Badlands Community Facility.
Throughout the day, people came and checked out what there was to offer, used the fitness center, and had some fun in the field house playing badminton and some basketball. The co-ed volleyball league held their first games at the Facility on Monday night.
The first impressions from the users were generally positive.
Nathan Waiboer and Devon Snow, two young boys, were hopping between machines, checking out all the stuff they could do.
“I think it’s really awesome. I like that we have a gym that we can do so many sports in,” said Snow.
Jamie O’Brien, an experienced fitness buff was pleased with the facility.
“It’s good. There’s a lot of good, high end equipment and there’s enough variety to give more of a choice to isolate different muscles,” said O’Brien.
The Drumheller Valley Secondary School Titans were roaming the fitness area, inspecting the equipment, as were many others who came inside to get a peek at what the building has to offer.
However, there was some criticism of the building.
“I wish it could have been more complete. There’s quite a bit of dust still around,” said Victor Bustamante, who had finished some laps around the track and was stretching.
There are a few areas that still need to be completed. The fitness centre still has cardboard on the floor, there are random patches that need painting, and some rooms, such as the art gallery, look barely started.
The boards around the field house have yet to be changed. The original plans call for tempered glass to surround the playing surface of the field house. That change is expected to occur later in the month.
However, the deficiencies do not hinder the functionality of the fitness area.
As of press time, the facility had 197 people sign up for memberships. The number is expected to climb and there is still plenty of space for more people.
