Cody Englander
Staff Writer
The Turner Community Center hasn’t always been a fitness center — for the first 30 years of its life, it served as the Chautauqua Elementary School before Chautauqua Institution purchased it in the early 2000s. The original locker rooms still reflected those of an elementary school, but starting in December 2024, renovations began to revamp the men’s and women’s lockers to align with modern fitness facilities. Construction wrapped around May 30.
Broken handles on locker doors had caused the fitness center to establish rental services for lockers, which became increasingly less usable before the remodeling. All of the lockers are brand new.
Other changes include group showers becoming individual showers, adding mirrors with lighting and introducing carpeted floors to prevent falls, creating more accessibility friendly facilities for handicapped individuals. Rusty bench supports and rust stains throughout the locker rooms were also removed. These changes make the space more guest-friendly and offer private spaces that the original locker rooms previously did not. One of the private spaces is a single-use family and gender neutral bathroom to accommodate families with younger children, older guests, transgender individuals and gender nonconforming individuals.
Ventilation issues were addressed, as well. The locker room previously exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the new locker rooms are temperature controlled.
Outside of the locker rooms, the gym went through a series of updates and improvements, receiving a new air bike, kettlebell rack, fixed barbells, deadlift platform and dual adjustable pulley.
The original gym floor was a deteriorating wooden court surface, which was replaced with safer and more durable rubber flooring. A fresh coat of paint also went on gym walls, doors, window trims and I-beams.
When asked about the work — with minor additions to be added after Week Nine — Director of Recreation and Fitness Center Manager Meg Pickard said she was “thrilled that they finally came to fruition.”
“I’m thankful to all the donors that supported the issue,” she said.
