Haas Health & Wellness Center is open, but can it compete with Planet Fitness?

By Barbara Taormina

REVERE – After more than a year of delays, the Haas Health & Wellness Center held its grand opening at the 321 Charger St. facility. City officials, touting the milestone, highlighted the artificial turf floors, ADA upgrades, cardio equipment, new tech, and small group exercise rooms for classes, such as spin, yoga, barre, aerobics, aerobic dance, boot camps, self-defense and boxing. The center can accommodate 4,000 to 5,000 members and is aiming to be a magnet for anyone interested in a healthier lifestyle.

It’s a far cry from last April when the City’s Chief Financial Officer Richard Viscay responded to the City Council’s request for information about the status of the center.

Vizcay said the center had a $2.1 million start up budget supported by $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, saying the object was to use the one-time money to provide something that gives the city a perpetual benefit. As of April, the city spent $471,000 on rent and lease payments and another $229,000 on equipment, insurance and upgrades. Viscay said the plan was to open last spring but unforeseen problems with the building caused delays.

“Have we been as successful as we want to be? We certainly have not,” he said.

Several councillors have been critical of the project because the city is renting a building that needed extensive updates. But City Council President Anthony Cogliandro said there were specific requirements and limitations attached to ARPA funding.

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said he recalls Amazon making a significant donation to help launch the Haas Center. “It’s been fully funded in the hope that it will become a sustainable business,” said Cogliandro. And a three-tier membership fee structure is expected to keep the center running.

Wellness Center Manager Haley Hanton said membership is on a steady climb. “Every night by six o’clock, it’s packed,” she said, adding that the Haas Center has top-of-the-line Keiser equipment that provides a healthy way to work out.

According to the city’s website, the Wellness Center offers three memberships, starting at $20 per month; the second membership, the Pro, at $30 per month; and the third, the Pro Plus, at $40 per month. The Basic membership offers a six-month contract with a $39 cancellation fee; and the other two have no contract or cancellation fee and offer unlimited access to yoga, barre, bootcamp and spin classes, where the Basic plan does not.

The Haas Center is competing with two Planet Fitness franchises, one located almost next door on 270 Charger St. and the other on American Legion Highway across from the former Wonderland dog track. Planet Fitness offers a Classic $10 per month membership and a PF Black Card membership for $24.99 per month, both by contract.

“It’s early. Hopefully, more members will join; hopefully, city employees,” said Novoselsky, adding that he was pleased at the decision to name the center after former Mayor Robert Haas, Jr.

The Wellness Center was formerly Greater Boston Fitness but had closed due to the pandemic in 2020. The owners had a tough time reopening, as did many independently owned gyms, following the government’s forced shut down. Currently, Teamworks soccer facility, located in the rear of the Hass Wellness Center, remains open and has been offering leagues and private rentals for the last 20 years, according to its website. Back in the 1970’s the site was originally a hockey rink called Skater’s World before it closed and reopened years later as a fitness center.