Visitors to the Timbers of Eureka Recreation Center might be surprised to find the workout areas, locker rooms and fitness equipment have been subjected to a recent sprucing up.
Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Christenson said the Timbers, which opened at 1 Coffey Park Lane in 2023, needed a facelift after a decade of wear and tear.
On Aug. 8, the women’s locker room reopened to members after work was done to remove and replace restroom partitions, benches, and shower-area tile, and install new plumbing and fixtures. Christenson said reopening the locker room was the “last big thing” in a long list of renovations at the Timbers spanning about five months.
In late May, the Timbers closed the fitness center on the first floor for six weeks to lay down new rubber flooring and bring in new exercise equipment. Before that, a cycling studio was finished on the upper level and an upstairs meeting room was converted into a cardio room with stair climber, treadmill, and elliptical machines.
The Eureka Board of Aldermen approved $198,758.83 for improvements to the Timbers in April.
The improvements, including demolition services, plumbing and flooring installation, were paid for with a $465,000 grant from St. Louis County and funds from the city’s capital improvement project budget.
“There are still bits and pieces that need to be done but that won’t impact operations,” Christenson said. “It feels like a whole different place, a whole different gym.”
Some of the “bits and pieces” include paint touch-ups, replacing some lights and retrofitting lockers, Christenson said.
The weightlifting area on the first floor, complete with free weights, benches, barbells and cable machines, reopened Aug. 1.
Sam Wienstroer, a rising junior at Eureka High School, said he uses the Timbers fitness equipment regularly to stay in shape.
“I actually like it a lot,” he said. “It was worth the wait. There’s a lot more weight machines, more variety, and it’s spacious.”
Brian Joggerst of Eureka said he’s been going to the Timbers since it first opened, and said the new layout is not as congested. Before the renovations, the cardio equipment shared the same space on the first floor with the weightlifting equipment.
“By moving the cardio upstairs, there’s a lot more space out here,” Joggerst said. “There are twice as many dumbbells, actually two sets for everything. The choice of machines is a lot better.”
Joggerst also commented on the cleanliness of the workout machines.
“It’s spotless,” he said.
A section on the Parks and Recreation portion of the city’s website, eureka.mo.us, called Timbers Improvements was created to provide people with a timeline for all the improvements, Christenson said. She also said updates are posted on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page.
New pool hours
The Timbers’ outdoor pool operating hours changed on Monday.
The pool is closed Monday through Friday. It will be open from noon to 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays through Sept. 1.
The pool also will be open from noon to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2, which is Labor Day.
The pool season ends with a Dog Splash Pool Party from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4. The cost is $5 per dog, according to the city’s website.
For more information, call the Timbers at 636-938-5233.