New Fitness Center is open in Ponemah

By Michael Barrett

Freelance Writer

         On August 26, 2003, a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new Fitness Center in Ponemah, as well as a cook-out for those attending.

         A lot of people had attended their grand opening, according to Melissa Perkins who was employed there along with Gary Johnson and Derrick Seki. All three were under the direct supervision of Chad Tharaldson, Fitness Director for Comprehensive Health Services at the Red Lake Hospital.

         Similar to the Red Lake Fitness Center which opened about a year ago, instead of constructing a new building, the Ponemah Fitness Center utilized what was once the Ponemah Group Home.

         It was completely remodeled both inside and out, and like the Red Lake facility, it also housed a WIC office for the Ponemah community, saving program participants a long drive to Red Lake for those services. According to Perkins, that office was open every Thursday.

         Both Fitness Centers were designed to provide available fitness services to residents of the Red Lake Indian Reservation in the form of fitness education, diabetes prevention, weight-loss, and overall health improvement and management.

         Ponemah’s Fitness Center had three treadmills, weight equipment, exercising bikes, and an assortment of other fitness equipment.

         Those employed there were also trained in CPR, blood pressure screening, testing blood sugar content, and heart related monitoring for those utilizing the facility. It was open to the public, free of charge, and the only age requirement was 13 years of age and older, and all participants did have to go through an orientation process to become a member.

         Perkins stated they were originally scheduled to open in July of this year, but they had some construction delays in getting set up. At the time of the interview on October 1, 2003, they were still waiting for the arrival of a propane tank so they would have a heat source in the building.

         She said they had the most participants utilizing the facility during the afternoon and evening hours, and a lot of school kids were also making use of the Center after school. 

         Their hours of operation were 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Both the Red Lake and Ponemah Fitness Centers were closed on Sundays.

         If one has further questions, wants to set up an appointment, or wants to know more about the Fitness Center in Ponemah, their phone number is 554-7503.