After much anticipation and many delays, the new gym at the Jasper Activity Centre will open its doors to the public tomorrow.

The new, bright and airy work-out space is double the size of the town’s previous gym, which was dubbed “the dungeon” due to it being located in a small, dark, windowless room in the activity centre’s basement.

While taking a walkthrough of the new $5.5-million facility last week, Christopher Read, the project manager, said the space was a long time coming.

“For 20-plus years residents have been saying this was the No. 1 thing they wanted.

“I think it’s just miraculous that we even got here. We’ve just been trying to get here for so long.”

Read joked that all it took was the economic downturn to bring the project to light. That’s because it was the downturn that got the Town of Jasper an economic stimulus package for the expansion.

The new 5,000-sq-ft. building is located on the east side of the aquatic centre, which allows one front desk to service the swimming pool and the gym.

Read said that alone is a huge improvement because in the old gym there were staircases separating staff from the people working out. The problem with that, he said, was that if a piece of equipment were to break and no one mentioned it, in some cases it could be weeks before the equipment was fixed.

“Our level of service and safety really goes through the roof,” he said.

Also located at the front desk is a “hydration station.” The centre won’t be selling bottled water, since Jasper’s water is already so good straight out of the tap, said Read. So instead, a sink and faucet have been installed, giving people with their own bottles easy access to water while they’re exercising.

The space is also equipped with a colourful climbing wall that was constructed to suit all abilities, from beginners to advanced climbers.

There is also a room for stretching and quiet yoga that is separated from the gym by large glass doors. The glass walls and windows provide for some privacy while still allowing staff to monitor what’s going on. They also create an open, bright environment, with views of the mountains and trees out many of the gym windows.

“We spent a lot of time as a culture and recreation board developing a mission statement ... and this project is the embodiment of that,” Read said, noting that the idea wasn’t just to build a place for people to work out, but a place for people to work toward a healthier lifestyle.

Part of that is also offering longer hours of operation. There will be 30 per cent more service for the gym and 45 per cent more service for the pool.

Read said now it’s just a matter of getting people to utilize that extra time.

“We built, now you have to come,” he said.

The improvements aren’t just for gym users, either. Also included in the project were improvements to the daycare, including an expansion of its yard, two new rooms, one of which includes a kitchen, a new toddler-sized bathroom and a second entrance.

There were also new office spaces built for culture and recreation staff, who had previously been working from the space beneath the bleachers – where the library recently relocated to to allow for its expansion and renovation.

The activity centre project began in March 2010. Its original completion date was set for March 2011, but there were numerous hiccups that delayed the project until now, including an incredibly rainy month of July.

“As much as there have been some hurdles and delays, it turned out to be the building the community wanted.

“Everything we hoped we would do, we did. We met all of our objectives,” Read said.

The most exciting of which, if you ask Read, is in the mechanical room. Located there is machinery that will reclaim the waste heat from the arena and reuse it to heat the new fitness centre, the swimming pool, the daycare and the multi-purpose space where the gymnastics equipment is currently located.

“That is a crucial cornerstone for this project,” Read said, noting that it’s a way to use the resources that the building already has.

Although the gym opens tomorrow, the grand-opening celebration is set for Nov. 10.