A diamond in the rough

Construction starts on 24/7 fitness center

By JASON TIDD

Staff writer

A new fitness center in Marion will be finished just in time for New Years’ resolutions.

Burt and Amy Harshman are building a 50x100 fitness center at 1222 E. Main St. with a plan to open at the start of January.

There will be a 50x50 weight room with power racks, weight machines, free weights, and dumbbells.

“We tried to get enough variety in the weight room to accommodate all different types of ages and fitness levels,” Burt Harshman said.

There also will be a cardio room separate from the weight room with more than a dozen machines, including treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, a step machine, a recumbent bike, and a helix lateral trainer.

A third room will serve as a small classroom for other activities.

“Whoever wants to do fitness videos, or we’ve tossed around the idea of having some personal trainers teaching some classes, too,” Burt Harshman said. “We haven’t quite worked out the details on how we want to do that yet.”

The facility will be open 24/7 with key card entry. Amy Harshman will be in the building a few days a week to sign up members and do paperwork, but there will not be regular attendants.

“For people that get up early and work out or get home late and work out, they can just swipe their key and come on in and work out whenever they want to,” Burt Harshman said.

He said the business will offer physical fitness workouts to all age groups.

“We should have enough variety in there that I think anybody from high school to seniors will be able to use it,” Burt Harshman said.

Amy Harshman said the facility, while in Marion, has communities countywide in mind.

“It’s just a fitness center for whoever,” she said.

Its location puts it near East Park and across the street from the Sports and Aquatics Center.

A price has not been set, but Amy Harshman said it will be similar to the downtown Marion Wellness Center. But there will be a difference.

“It will just be bigger, more equipment, more space,” Amy Harshman said.

“I kind of felt like it was time that the community had a little bit bigger facility to accommodate more people that are wanting to work out where they don’t feel as crowded and don’t have to wait for a machine or weights to open up to where they can use them,” Burt Harshman said.

Diamond H Fitness, as it will be called, derives its name from two sources. Burt Harshman said “diamond” comes from being a “Diamond Creek boy,” from growing up in the area north of Elmdale in Chase County. “H” stands for Harshman.

“We’ve gotten a lot of good response so far,” Amy Harshman said.

“We’re pretty excited about it and hope that the community gets excited about it as well,” Burt Harshman said.