Sunday, March 23, 2025
At its meeting on Feb. 4, the City Council approved the purchase of new fitness equipment for the Long Beach Recreation Center, to replace outdated and frequently malfunctioning machines. This is the facility’s first major equipment upgrade in over a decade.
“The equipment that’s there now is, like, right-after-Sandy equipment,” recreation center Commissioner Joseph Brand said. “Treadmills are not supposed to last that long. They have, but they get to a usable lifespan where, now, to put more money into them — even the guy that works on it says it’s just not worth it. So the timing of this couldn’t have been any better.”
The new equipment, which includes upgraded cardio and weight-training machines, was acquired with a Community Development Block Grant, at no direct cost to the city or residents.
The state Office of Community Renewal manages the federal block grant program in New York state. The federal program provides financial assistance to eligible municipalities for community projects, and is available to cities, towns and villages with populations under 50,000 and counties with populations under 200,000. It focuses on improving affordable housing, enhancing public facilities and expanding economic opportunities.
Many of the Magnolia Boulevard facility’s cardio machines have long surpassed their expected lifespan, with five units taken out of service in the past few weeks, according to City Manager Dan Creighton. The new equipment is expected to be more durable, an important factor given its heavy daily use.
“And there’s a couple of weight room components that were added in that’ll be new amenities that are definitely needed in the weight room as well,” Brand said. “So I think the customers will be happy, and we left a little wiggle room in case they’re not.”
The purchase included treadmills as well as elliptical and weight-training machines, all with extended warranties. Most of the cardio machines have three-year parts-and-labor warranties, and some equipment frames will have coverage for up to 10 years. Additionally, the city has secured a maintenance plan with a technician who is familiar with the rec center’s needs, to help ensure long-term reliability.
