Newsletter March 2009 The Old Town Hot Springs welcomes you to the first electronic newsletter. We want to keep you informed and up-to-date on everything happening at Steamboat's historic Old Town Hot Springs. The pools are new and improved and ready for you to come and take a dip! The New Look Gets Rave Reviews The massive, $5 million remodeling project, completed in January 2008, is a welcome improvement to members and guests, and everyone in Steamboat. The majority of work was done on the hot springs side of the facility. A new, 240-square foot pool has been built into the hillside. A larger, rambling 3,000 square foot hot springs pool has steps for the kids, space for warm-water aerobics, a deep end for strength and treading exercises or rehab from injuries, and an aquatics climbing wall. You can find privacy, and you can find fun for the entire family. The historic heart spring and its healing water is still there, and the centerpiece to the changes and improvements to the entire Old Town Hot Springs facility. The Slides Are Slicker The new slides are even better! In the fall of 2008, work crews labored diligently to improve the smoothness on the inside of the slides. Now, both 230-foot slides are slick and smooth and ready for you. Membership Prices Stay the Same Last year, membership prices went up for the first time in many years. With today's economy and tough times for many, the OTHS Board has voted not to institute any price increases in 2009. However, in the future, memberships will be raised a small amount each year, instead of a large raise every few years. Look for the next rate increase in Spring 2010. For details on the cost of memberships, or becoming a new member at the Old Town Hot Springs, please click here. 2009 Spring & Summer Lap Lane Schedule In an effort to better serve working members of the Old Town Hot Springs who enjoy the lap pool before, during and after the standard working hours, our administrative staff has decided to condense the hours that the Steamboat Springs Swim Team (SSST or swim team) uses the facility, and consolidate their use by allowing them all lap lanes for shorter periods during the day. This schedule applies less in the spring when the team is required to practice after school, but becomes standard practice during the summer months of June and July, when school is out for summer break. Please be patient with the schedule alterations as we try them this first season. The swim team is comprised of over 125 member swimmers and their families. We recognize the challenge of providing for these youth members while providing adequate time for our working adult members, which is why we are trying the new schedule. We have requested that the team swimmers do everything possible to limit impacts to other users both in and out of the water. We welcome and encourage your thoughts and comments regarding the schedule changes. The new schedule will begin in April and will be as follows:   • April 1-May 1, 3:45-6:15 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday - Four lanes occupied by SSST; four lanes open for adult lap swim. All lanes open for lap swimmers in the morning before work, during the lunch hours and after 6:15 p.m.   • May 4-June 6, 3:45-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday - Six lanes occupied by SSST; two lanes occupied for OTHS swim lessons; no lanes open for adult lap swim. Shallow pool and deep end not available. 5:00-6:30 p.m., - Four lanes occupied by SSST; four lanes open for adult lap swim. Shallow pool and deep end not available. All lanes open for lap swimmers in the morning before work, during the lunch hours and after 6:30 p.m.   • May 4-June 6, 8:45-11:00 a.m., Saturday - Six lanes occupied by SSST; two lanes open for adult lap swim. All lanes open for adult lap swim in the morning before 8:45 a.m., during the lunch hours and in the evening.   •June 8-July 31, 7:30-10:00 a.m., Monday-Friday-Eight lanes occupied by SSST; no lanes open for adult lap swim. All lanes open for adult lap swim from 5:30 a.m. until 7:30 a.m., with at least three lanes available after 10 a.m. for the rest of the day. Meet A Member Evelyn Monger is the Member of the Month, and a long-time member of the Old Town Hot Springs. Evelyn turns 91 in April, and started coming to the pool when her kids were born, nearly 60 years ago. She'd bring the five kids in from out on the Monger Ranch on County Road 44. The kids would take swim lessons while she'd relax in the pool. She's still soaking today, "I like it. I don't swim. I soak and exercise. When I walk in the door, the front desk person hands me the swimming barbells." Evelyn says she has some pain in her hip and the pool helps that. "I think it helps my muscles and bones." Evelyn's grand-daughters, Mallory and Mariah Hoots, both swim on the swim team. "My mother almost drowned so she put the fear of God in all of us, to learn to swim." That's why Evelyn's five children and now her grandchildren, are all good swimmers. Behind The Scenes Lifetime Member Meeting The annual meeting for Lifetime Members of the Old Town Hot Springs is Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. in the exercise classroom. We encourage all Lifetime Members to attend and have your voice heard. Presentations include the Financial Report for 2008-2009, the Budget for 2009-2010, and Capital Improvement ideas. Three board members will also be up for re-election. If you are a Lifetime Member and are unable to attend the meeting, proxies will be available at the front desk. From The Board Room The Old Town Hot Springs, which is a non-profit organization, would like to welcome two new board members. Rich Lowe is a retired president of xpedx, the country's top paper supplier and single source provider of graphic supplies, printing press machines and bindery and finishing equipment. Ralph Cantafio is a long-time, local attorney. Both men replace long-time board members Mike Holloran and George Tolles. Board members serve three-year terms. The Board began a new process of choosing Board members this year. The available positions were publicized in the facility last December and January. Thirteen applicants were interviewed by the Board for the open positions. Two were chosen to fill the seats of two resigning Board members in February, and two others were chosen for seats that will be opening at the Annual Meeting on April 13th. This process allows the Board to fill positions with people who have certain skill sets in various areas of expertise at certain times. The Board hopes interested members will apply to be on committees if Board positions are not available. Your current board members are: Karen Connell, President karen.c@sshra.org Donna Mae Hoots, Vice President donna.h@sshra.org Gary Cogswell, Secretary/Treasurer gary.c@sshra.org Rich Lowe rich.l@sshra.org Ralph Cantafio ralph.c@sshra.org Jill Leary jill.l@sshra.org Jeff Troeger jeff.t@sshra.org Linda Cantway linda.c@sshra.org Bud Romberg bud.r@sshra.org Pat Carney is the Executive Director of the facility. pcarney@sshra.org One Step Further Take your involvement with the Old Town Hot Springs one step further by joining one of the four standing-advisory committees now being formed. These groups will help the board in meeting the mission, vision and strategic goals of the Old Town Hot Springs. The four committees are:   • Finance   • Facilities   • Fitness & Water   • Marketing & Membership Each committee will have two to four facility members. If you are interested, please email OTHS Executive Director Pat Carney at pcarney@sshra.org Applicants will be reviewed and committees will be formed by mid-April. We welcome your involvement. Fitness Center Fitness Classes A tremendous variety of fitness classes are available in the Fitness Center, on the upper level of the Old Town Hot Springs. You'll find Spin, Step, Pilates, Yoga Total Fitness, Turbo Kickbox and more. The complete fitness class list is at: http://www.steamboathotsprings.org/schedule.php Powercross A specialty class, Powercross, is offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 5:30-6:45 p.m. This class required a pre sign-up in March, however you can drop into an individual class for a $10 fee. The classes run through April 9th. Each week, a different type of workout is offered. The workouts range from Sports Conditioning to Yoga and Pilates. The class is offered to members and non-members. For the Specialty Class schedule, please click here. Spin Classes Spring is coming! Outdoor biking season is on its way. Be sure to call in to sign up for Spin classes. If there are four or less on the Spin sign-up sheet, the class is cancelled. Spin classes are on the schedule through the month of April, as long as there is still interest once the weather gets warmer. Respect The Tunes The music in the Fitness Center is the Classic Rock station from XM Radio. While everyone has a different taste in music, it has proven to be a neutral fit for all. Should you object, you are welcome to wear your own headphones or Ipod. Learn The Machines All members are invited to learn how to use the weight and cardio equipment in the Fitness Center. Sign up at the Front Desk for a free orientation. From The Pool Triathlon Open Water Swim Triathletes are welcome to join in the Triathlon Tune-Up Open Water Swim on Sunday, April 5. All lap lane buoys will be gone and the deep end will be open for excellent continuous swimming. Two sessions are available: 4:00-4:45 5:00-5:45 Cost for members is $10; non-members $12. Advanced registration and payment is required. Please note that the lap pool will close at 3:50 for this event. Poochy Paddle The Old Town Hot Springs offers the first ever Poochy Paddle on Sunday, April 12. Bring the family pets out for a swim in the lap pool before it is drained and cleaned. Two Poochy Paddle sessions are available: 2:00-4:00 4:00-6:00 Cost is $5 per dog along with a donation to the Humane Society (toys, food, etc.) Animals must be under voice control at all times. No owners allowed in the water due to health code. There will be an Owner/Pet Look Alike Contest each session. Pool To Be Closed For Cleaning The Lap Pool will be closed for cleaning the afternoon of Sunday, April 12, through Saturday, April 18. All pool surfaces are power washed and acid-cleaned annually. Facilities Director Matt Enochs says, "Muriatic Acid is the only chemical that can really clean the stains from the natural mineral waters. Most pools do a drain and clean like this every ten years, but we like to do it yearly as the minerals will stain the plaster of the pool." The Old Town Hot Springs is also waiting for new drains to come in, in compliance with the recently-enacted Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Drain Act. The drains are expected to arrive sometime in April. They will be replaced while the pool is being cleaned, if they are there in time. If not, a scuba diver will do the job. Enochs says, "Our drains are larger than most pools and the manufacturers are concentrating on manufacturing the smaller drains first that are most prone to have an accident." Enochs adds, "Our drains are perfectly safe and have continued to meet all industry standards up until Dec. 2008 when the federal law was put into place. We will however, put in new drains to make sure everything continues to be up to code and safe for our guests." Respect Gets Respect Lap Lane Etiquette is important in the lap pool. More and more folks will be getting back in the water as the weather gets warmer. This winter, some lap lanes have had to be covered, to conserve energy, which made a huge difference in the energy bills for the facility. Aquatics Director Jill Ruppel says, "Sharing lanes is not an option for us any longer. It is a must. Even if the lanes are uncovered and available, please be courteous and make room for another swimmer in the lane." Ruppel says there are two ways to share a lane: Split the lane down the middle. Circle swim. Swimmers swim to the right of the black line and follow one another leaving 10-15 seconds apart. Swimming Lessons Early season lessons will begin in May and the regular summer sessions begin after school gets out in June. More information will be in the April newsletter, on the website and by calling the aquatics office at 879-1828, ext. 22. Thank you for your support and patience. Don't forget to visit our website for everything you want to know about the Old Town Hot Springs. http://www.steamboathotsprings.org/