Health Club A Popular (Warm) Hangout For Power-Less Families
Cindy Lopez stood at the free-throw line sizing up the basket.
She knocked down one shot, then another Thursday afternoon while her sons, Danny and Nate, counted the baskets. Her two daughters and a friend chased a basketball at the other end of the court at Sta-Fit Racquet and Athletic Club, 14210 E. Sprague.
Like many Spokane Valley residents suffering through icy temperatures and an extended power outage, Lopez and her family welcomed the warmth and entertainment.
“It gets really boring at 4:30 (p.m.) when it’s dark and cold,” said Lopez, whose Sherwood Forest home had been without power since Tuesday.
Besides getting her family out of the frigid house, it also gave Lopez a chance to do something she hadn’t been able to do since Tuesday.
Take a shower.
“It felt good to take a shower after two days of grunge,” Lopez said.
Valerie Freeman, the club’s manager, said hundreds of members - not all of them regular visitors - are doing the same thing.
“We have seen some people we haven’t seen for quite some time,” Freeman said.
Added Kristie Aukoffer, who works at the front desk, “We’ve always had hot water, so it’s kind of like a refugee camp.”
Cathy Weaver soaked in the hot tub. Their Ponderosa home also lost power Tuesday.
After spending Wednesday clearing the yard of fallen trees and broken branches, the Ponderosa Elementary teacher was ready for a break, and a shower.
“The kids have been doing a lot of crosswords, reading and (playing) ping pong,” Cathy Weaver said, who was at Sta-Fit with her daughter, Heather.
More than a dozen parents and children splashed in the nearby pool. It also provided much-needed relaxation and entertainment for storm-weary families.
“We just had a dad in with his kids while mom was at the laundromat doing laundry,” said lifeguard Tina Gazaway.
The pool’s popularity in the days following Tuesday’s ice storm has forced the club to assign extra lifeguards to keep an eye on swimmers.
Others in search of a warm, well-lighted place have flocked to University City Shopping Center.
The mall went dark and closed mid-day Tuesday, but was only a few minutes slow opening for business Wednesday morning, said Shauna Foss, U-City marketing director.
“People are calling and asking if we have electricity and is it warm?” Foss said.
Restaurants at the mall also have been especially busy, Foss added.
Chuck Gaylord, who manages American Baseball Cards, said business at the store at 1513 N. Mullan has picked up during the outage.
“A lot of times we’re a baby-sitting service too,” Gaylord said. “If parents have some where else to go, they dump them off for an hour.”
, DataTimes