Seward families will be able to purchase a monthly membership for the new wellness center for $75 per month and occasional users will pay $20 per day when the Seward Wellness Center opens next spring.
The Seward City Council on Sept. 17 approved a schedule of membership fees ranging from monthly fees of $20 for youth ages 12 to 18, to $75 for an immediate family group. Other rates will be offered for young adults (19-24), seniors (62+), single parent family, adult couple (married), and daily.
Those rates are in the mid-range of eight similar wellness centers, which are as low as $63.18 in Norfolk to $89 at the Fallbrook Y, and $83 at Columbus.
Daily rates in Seward will be $5 for youth and seniors and $10 for adults, slightly lower than all but Papillion and Hasting’s daily rates in the comparison group.
An immediate family group coming in on a daily pass would be charged no more than $20, Brase said.
Center Director Joel Brase said in his presentation to the Seward City Council that the rates were based on averages for the other facilities and deemed “reasonable.”
The admission and membership rates are the same for those living in and outside Seward. Those holding memberships will be given discounted rates for extra classes offered.
Discounts will be offered for those who commit to one-year of monthly payments for $780 for a family (monthly would total $900) and for families who pay on an annual basis, $715 (first month free). Corporate rates will also be offered, allowing those affiliated with member organizations discounts of 10 or 20 percent of the monthly rates.
With a projection of 495 adult memberships calculated at $39 per month to reflect the range of categories, and 325 family memberships calculated at $65, the anticipated revenue would be $559,800 if paid monthly and $513,150 on an annual basis.
The city’s 2024-2025 budget documents include estimated revenue and operational expenses at $415,000. Of that revenue, $331,000 is projected to be from memberships with the remainder attributed to daily fees, classes and special programs, and rental fees.
Brase expects a membership drive before the end of the year.
Brase said the wellness center took its first draw on its construction loan to pay bills last month, but won’t likely have to do so again in the near future because there is $3 million in grant funds and $280,000 in Nebraska Civic and Community Center Financing Fund (CCCFF) balances available for cash flow.
Overall, the project is on budget and ahead of schedule, Brase said. The concrete pool was being poured last week, the gymnasium was having ceiling structures like basketball hoops attached, and the multi-purpose room was being drywalled.
