Planet Fitness is pumping up its location more than $1 million in improvements

BURTON, MI – Planet Fitness is pumping up its location at Courtland Center with more than $1 million in improvements at the Burton facility that have been two years in the making.

Club owner Chris Klebba said a 6,000-square-foot addition to the facility that opened in January 2011 will include new cardio equipment, new locker rooms, a larger stretching and abdominal area, as well as new floors and tile.

“Our members have been fantastic throughout the remodeling process,” said Klebba. The work to expand the size of the club in the mall recently began. “We’re all looking forward to the grand re-opening at the end of this year.”

Current equipment, from ellipticals and treadmills to recumbent and upright bicycles, will receive upgrades, Klebba said. The club also will add power mills, which he described as a “step-like unit” that will create a fourth line of cardio workout options.

Hydro massage beds are being added, as well as upgrades to tanning beds, but the majority of the additional space, Klebba said, will be used to expand the stretching abdominal workout areas.

“We’re knocking down the (back) wall and making the extra square footage,” he said. A row of televisions positioned for those working on the cardio equipment will also receive an upgrade, from 42-inch screens to 55 inches.

Klebba said they’ve been trying to do renovations for around two years, but they have been waiting for things to settle in terms of mall management and coming to an agreement for additional space before the plan could move forward.

Courtland Center mall was sold earlier this year for $6 million to Stockbridge Courtland Center LLC, which Klebba said finally gave the gym enough confidence in the future to move forward with renovations.

He thanked the community for the support received by the club in Genesee County, with the Burton location having more than 5,000 members. There are two other Planet Fitness locations, in Fenton and inside the Genesee Valley Mall in Flint Township.

“The community has supported us so much,” he said. The extra space will accommodate the additional people who show up at the gym in January, February and March, creating a tight fit at times.

During the course of renovations, there may be some periods when the gym, which is open 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekends, may have to close for a few hours to allow for work.

“Our intent is to stay open as much as we can,” said Klebba. “We’ve already demoed that back wall as much as we can. Our intent is to do it late night, and if we do shut down, it will be after 10 or 11 p.m.”

He expects work to be completed by the end of the year and a grand re-opening sometime in January 2015.