ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 9, 1996 TAG: 9612090010
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON
No one's accusing Russ Merritt of being lazy.
The director of the Franklin County Family YMCA has earned a reputation over the years for being a go-getter who usually stays one step ahead of the game.
So it came as no surprise last week that Merritt, dressed in tennis shoes and workout clothes, was helping people accustom themselves to the new fitness equipment the YMCA just purchased.
Never mind that the new $4 million YMCA hasn't been built yet. Merritt and others who support the Y program saw an opportunity present itself about two months ago.
Of course, they took it.
The organization rented an old funeral home building on Main Street near the Franklin County Courthouse, renovated it and had top-of-the-line fitness equipment moved in - all in a little over a month.
A ribbon-cutting and open house were held Tuesday night.
The temporary workout center will serve Y clients until the new facility off North Main Street is completed.
Ground has been broken for the new YMCA, and Merritt said he hopes the building will be finished by January 1998.
Meanwhile, people can take aerobic classes, pump some iron or jump on treadmills.
The YMCA bought more than $30,000 worth of equipment, which will be moved to the new facility.
So far, The YMCA has raised $3.4 million toward the price of the new building.
The two-floor facility will have two full-size basketball courts, an Olympic-size pool, an indoor track, and fitness and weight training areas.
LENGTH: Short : 41 linesby CNB