By Laura D.C. Kolnoski |
OCEANPORT – A new athletic club is coming to Fort Monmouth, with a public opening anticipated near Memorial Day in time for summer programs.
“The Fort Athletic Club” will replace the former U.S. Army base’s physical fitness center. The 32,000-square-foot facility located on Route 537 (Avenue of Memories) was purchased for $2.3 million from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) on Sept. 21 by Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School basketball coach Chris Champeau, a member of Fort Partners Group, LLC.
The facility, on 7.4 acres, will undergo extensive renovations and an expansion over the next six to eight months that will include a new pool, lobby, a full basketball court, raised ceilings, a new entrance, and more.
“This will be a family-oriented, one-stop shop for games, practices, small group training, and working out at a full-service health club. Think ‘Hoosiers’ meets an Apple store, with a family feel,” said Champeau. “It will have a sense of community and of belonging to something bigger than oneself. All up-to-date available technology and college and professional-level equipment will be included.” Wellness programs including yoga and physical therapy, a pro shop, and a health café are also planned, he said.
Fort Partners Group, LLC also includes Champeau’s fellow RFH coach Dave Callahan and Fair Haven resident Scott Marchakitus, who works in the financial field. The company is an assignee of FM Partners, LLC, which was approved by FMERA to purchase the property in June 2015. The men have been working to secure the fort’s fitness center for three years. The facility’s theme will be, “All In,” Champeau said.
“This will be a first-class facility,” Champeau said, adding, “We could not be more pumped and I’m all in on this. The shore area needs what we will offer.” The Oceanport Planning Board gave the project site plan approval in August.
“We are tremendously pleased to complete this closing and look forward to this famous local venue opened and reinvigorated,” said FMERA Chairman James V. Gorman. “This is another great step in the revitalization of the fort property.” Added Candice Valente, FMERA’s manager of planning and development, “The renovated fitness center will be a vital part of the live-work-play community developing at Fort Monmouth.”
This article was first published in the Oct. 19-26, 2017 print edition of The Two River Times.
