Revamped fitness center gets Airmen pumped up

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christian Clausen
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
The 799th Air Base Group completed about $172,000 worth of renovations to the Predator Fitness Center and the Reaper Recreational Center Dec. 5, 2014, at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

The renovation took just 45 days to complete and comprised of 74 pieces of new equipment, including all new cardio, bench-press and cable machines and flooring.

The previous gym equipment was nearly 10 years old and services' the goal is to have a five-year replacement plan said Capt. Steven Cosgrove, 799th Air Base Squadron Force Support flight commander. Cosgrove went on to say that because the 799th ABS is still a relatively new squadron, it didn't have the budget to accommodate this level of renovation and begin building a five-year plan without help from 432nd Wing.

"We took the opportunity to use end-of-year funding graciously provided through the 432nd Wing and update all of our equipment, so we could get on a five-year plan and help out our Airmen," Cosgrove said.

Having new equipment enables Airmen to relieve stress and maintain fitness standards without any delays, while keeping up with the latest guidance and philosophies for working out.

"Before we made the purchase, we distributed a survey to base Airmen asking what [equipment] they would want. We also consulted our gym staff to see what gets used the most," Cosgrove said. "After that, we came up with a floor plan for the gym and built the pieces off of that."

After the 799th ABS received feedback, they were able purchase the equipment according to the space available in the buildings.

"We replaced all the cardio equipment first. All the treadmills and elliptical machines are new," Cosgrove said. "After that we replaced the strength equipment -- the bench presses, cable machine, and assisted-lift machines."

The assisted-lifting machines were one of the most requested items both from Airmen and medical staff for rehabilitation and injuries. With the new equipment, medical team personnel now have the ability to provide more complete physical therapy services to injured Airmen.

Additionally, the new, thinner flooring will allow a more stable surface for the treadmills and extend their service life.

"The benefit of all the new equipment is now we can meet our standards in services and for the customers, which I'm more concerned about," said Tech. Sgt. Jonathon Vick, 799th ABS NCO in charge of fitness. "It means they can work out here as part of their duty day instead of adding two to three extra hours on their day going to a gym in Las Vegas. This renovation was important to better Team Creech, not just to make the gym look good."

Even though the gyms have space constraints, the 799th ABS does everything they can to increase quality of life for Creech Airmen.

"The purpose of these renovations is to get the best equipment that we can for Creech Airmen," Cosgrove said. "We want to provide a great level of service with the amount of space that we have and that's what this was for."

In addition to these renovations, the 799th ABS has plans to replace existing dumbbells and add more benches in the future.

The group is requesting continued feedback from Creech Airmen to better their services throughout the year. All Suggestions and comments can be left in the comment box, or Airmen can contact the fitness center at 702-404-3302.