Officials ink deal to save popular Burlingame gym

Officials from the health care district have since scrambled to preserve the facility, leading to a tentative agreement last month with nonprofit Eskaton to take over operations for the exercise and wellness programs. Under the most recent approval, details of the Eskaton arrangement were finalized.

Gym patron Burt Berenstein said the decision came to the delight of those who loved the facility and worked hard to keep it functioning.

“We’re thrilled. All of us are so excited,” he said.

District CEO Cheryl Fama said in an email she will soon start work with stakeholders to assure a seamless launch of the new facility.

“There are many details still to be fine-tuned and I am working with a community advisory committee of current fitness center participants to help with that tuning to achieve as smooth a transition as possible and to help inform further development and rollout of programs that will focus on supporting the five areas of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual health,” she said.

Health care district board Chair Lawrence Cappel lauded the arrangement in a prepared statement.

“Eskaton is an ideal partner to operate and manage the Trousdale Wellness Center,” he said of the company, which also operates the health care district’s assisted living and memory care facility nearby.

Eskaton will start operations in July, at the termination of Sutter Health’s lease of the facility. Sutter Health officials initially intended to close the center and move a portion of its services to other properties, but the gym would be dissolved because it did not align with the focus on acute care offered elsewhere.

The announcement spurred outcry from gym patrons, who appreciate the center’s amenities, low-key environment and opportunities for socialization which many claimed are rare.

Under the terms ratified Thursday, April 26, Sutter Health will donate gym and exercise equipment currently at the facility. Existing members will be allowed to keep their $50 monthly rate and new members will be asked to pay $75. Private trainers will be available for $50 and all classes will cost $5, among other details.

The center will be closed temporarily during the transition, but officials intend to complete the shift in phases in an effort to preserve as much availability as possible.

“After a brief closure for minor improvements and cosmetic refreshing, [the Peninsula Health Care District] will re-open the facility as the Trousdale Wellness Center, the only program of this nature in San Mateo County,” according to a district press release.

Going forward, the health care district will be responsible for all the programs, services, hours of operations, budget and other operational terms. Such obligations had previously fallen to Sutter Health, which also operates the nearby Mills-Peninsula Medical Center.

Sutter Health officials had cited the development of a health and wellness community planned by health care district officials as part of their justification for closing the facility. Fama noted though the plans are still in their formative stages, and would not have precluded Sutter Health from maintaining operations through the lease, which was initially slated to end in 2023.

In light of a rocky past few months, Berenstein celebrated an ability to maintain the services cherished by so many local residents and expressed his appreciation to district officials for addressing the concerns of patrons.

“Thanks to the health care district, which stepped right up and made it happen,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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