Evans Fitness Club…. 53,610-square-foot center

A high-tech fitness facility is a few months away from opening in Marshall Square, where it will be the fifth business to locate in the mixed-use development.Evans Fitness Club has been under construction on the 31-acre site since early 2012.While the 53,610-square-foot center isn’t expected to open until Nov. 28, more than 1,000 people have signed up as members since Aug. 10, said the co-owner and general manager Mike Montarbo.Montarbo and wife Lisa, of Martinez, paired up with another family, Bill and Traci Smith, to turn their dream of operating a fitness center into a reality.“It’s a mom and pop,” Montarbo said. “It’s not a franchise.“This is just two families coming together with a good idea and a common goal.”When it opens, the gym will have “a little bit of everything for everybody,” Montarbo said.Members walking through the glass entryway will be greeted with an open floor plan and a variety of activities.Downstairs will feature free weights and plate-loaded Hammer Strength equipment. The first floor also will house the facility’s 22-foot-tall rock-climbing wall, steel octagon cage for martial arts and self-defense classes, 40-yard sprint track, racquetball courts and spinning room.The spinning room will extend onto the second floor, which includes a cardio deck, sports training areas and space for yoga, pilates, aerobics and other classes.“We want to be able to offer multiple classes at the same time,” said Montarbo, adding that the gym can accommodate seven different classes at once.Incorporating natural light, provided by several floor-to-ceiling windows, also was important for Montarbo.Each locker room will include showers, saunas and steam rooms. Day-care services will be provided for members.A smoothie shop and weight loss center located inside the gym will be available to nonmembers.Montarbo, who spent 10 years in the fitness business training athletes, said he wanted to give residents an affordable and accessible place to work out.“Our motto for this gym is bringing big city fitness to your backyard,” he said.Evans Fitness Club, which will employ about 40 people, will be open from 4 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Sundays. The monthly membership fee is $29.99, and the early registration rate for families is $59.99.

More information can be found at www.evansfitnessclub.com.