BY KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

VACHERIE- St. James Parish residents seem to have learned the value of staying fit and active as the Fitness Center saw a large jump in enrollment over last year.

Dennis Roussel, Director of the St. James Fitness Center, said enrollment is up 161 over last year’s numbers.

Not only did enrollment jump, but a new central facility has been proposed by Parish President Dale Hymel.

&#8220The proposed central facility is only in the infant stages right now. We are waiting for a proposal for a master plan to be presented in the future,” Hymel said.

&#8220A central facility would make it easy for the whole parish to use. There wouldn’t be just community parks available,” he said.s

Under the envisioned plan, the YMCA would be built on a piece of land set aside for recreation use and then ball fields would be erected around it for parish use,” Roussel said.

&#8220We are hoping that the central fitness center will become a reality. We have three different parks right now on the West Bank. There are facilities in all three West Bank districts for soccer and baseball, but they are landlocked by other development and can’t expand. If the central fitness center was built we could turn the other facilities into playgrounds and parks, and the fields would be part of the new development.” Roussel said.

&#8220We have an operating budget of between $900,000 and $1 million. With the help of members and corporate sponsors we would be able to make the improvements and better serve our citizens,” he said.

The Fitness center offers a wide variety of services to residents to help keep physical activity a top priority in the parish.

&#8220The facility is open to all at a fee of $20 a month and includes weight training, aerobic classes, and cardio equipment,” Roussel said.

Other activities currently sponsored by the fitness center are Little League Baseball, slow pitch men’s softball, basketball and soccer. They also provide senior citizen aerobics.