When the Kroc Center doors first opened in January, things kicked off on a high note. A brand new, state-of-the-art facility and fitness center, kids and teens areas with flat screens and fun things, and a wet and wild pool with a water-slide. All favorites.
"It's a lot of fun," says member Teri McNaughton. "The kids love the waterslides and the lazy river, and the basketball, and the pool." Teri and her family visit often.
The McNaughton family are among the estimated 6,000 members who signed up, down from a peak of about 7,000.
"We've gone down a bit from that," says Kroc Center spokesperson Meg Sauer. "We believe it's cyclical. We believe it's weather related." January, February and March were the center’s best months, Sauer says.
"Things dwindle, and in September they pick back up. We're expecting that," she says.
This fall the facility is working to bring back the “wow” with new programs and plans to invest in things that are working.
"It's all part of learning the business and trying to figure out what our members want and our clients want," saiys Sauer.
So what does this mean for you?
More perks. Better pricing, and a greater emphasis on successes like: Events, parties and swim lessons. Retooling, does come at the expense of programs that didn't catch on as well as the Kroc Center had hoped, like personal training.
"We are trying to find our identity in the community and serve our customers the best way we can," said Sauer.
So when you talk about shifting resources, here's what this means for jobs. There are 182 workers at the Kroc Center, most of them part-time.
Sauer didn't tell WSBT about any plans to cut staff, but she did say it makes better financial sense to create a full-time position in an area in demand like events and catering, and it could come at the expense of a part-time position, like in the cafe, for example.
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