Fredericton Bouldering Co-op Opening Gym In June
FREDERICTON – After lots of planning and fundraising, the Fredericton Bouldering Co-op now has a place to call home.
The organization will be opening its gym facility on the corner of Smyth and Dundonald Streets in June to the public. It will not only feature just rock walls but also slack lines, gym equipment, a lounge area with local craft beer on tap and more.
The decision for the co-op to get their own gym came when they had outgrown their space at the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium at the University of New Brunswick campus, which is also slated to close in a few years. Fredericton Bouldering Co-op president Adam Morgan says the location, which was previously a Dominion Grocery Store and electrical company, couldn’t be more perfect.
“There was nothing else suitable or close to town,” says Morgan. “We thought, ‘wow, this place is ideal.’ It couldn’t be much better suited for us.”
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They Fredericton Bouldering Co-op secured the location through securing $160,000 through both fundraising and private investors. From the moment they got the keys in February, renovations started. This included bringing in Quebec company Delire to building the gym’s bouldering walls.
“We managed to snag this small window in their construction schedule. They were pretty much full through the rest of this year,” says Morgan. “They had this little window in February-March and they liked the idea of our project and it was chance for them to get into the Maritimes, so they fit us in.”
The wall was installed within four weeks and is now being used by co-op members, but there was still lots to do, including building a mezzanine.
“We’re going to have this raised seating area for viewing but we’re also going to have an espresso machine, some smoothies and a couple of taps of local beer. It’s going to round out the place,” says Morgan. “Otherwise, people would come in and there would be no place to wait while their kids were climbing. Now there’s a place for parents to just relax and still watch the kids, or for climbers or whoever to come in and do some homework or work and just hang out.”
The gym will also feature three slack lines, balance boards, aerial silks, as well and basic gym equipment such a free weights, dumbells, squat racks, bench press, an Olympic bar and a shower.
“For those folks who still want a conventional exercise option without having to buy a fitness gym membership and a climbing gym pass,” says Morgan.
“The sky is the limit. We’ve got all these activities we’re going to be able to do here. Yeah, climbing is our primary one, but with all the kids programming we’re going to be doing, we’re going to have lots of options for keeping kids entertained and our members.”
Those looking to climb don’t need to be a member of the Fredericton Bouldering Co-op (though that is an option). They will simply be able to buy a drop-in pass for the day or a monthly gym access pass. The facility will have its grand opening on June 1, where it will be free to the public to climb all weekend.
Morgan says he sees the gym becoming a staple in the community.
“Between the fact that we have a climbing wall that’s growing in popularity, we are going to have tonnes of kids programming and the mezzanine it’s going to be getting busier and busier in here and it’s really looking like it’s going to become this little microcosm in the city,” he says.
It was a plan years in the making, but the Fredericton Boulding Co-op is excited to finally have a space to call their own.
“It’s really a dream come true. Not just for me, but for the community,” says Morgan. “We got our own space now. We can do whatever we want here.”