LAWRENCE: Rec department adds programs

Zumba and pilates now among offerings

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   The Lawrence Township Recreation Department is expanding its offerings to township residents, in partnership with Viva Community Fitness LLC.
   The Cherry Hill-based organization is offering two courses — Viva Zumba and Viva Mat Pilates. They are geared for all fitness levels — Zumba for persons at least 12 years old, and Mat Pilates for persons at least 15 years old.
   Zumba combines Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow steps with energizing music for an hour of caloric-burning and body-energizing exercise, while Mat Pilates offers non-jarring exercises that are designed to fit each student’s body.
   The courses will be offered for eight weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning April 16. The cost of the courses is $68 each, and they will be held at the Ben Franklin Elementary School on Princeton Pike. Registration is made by contacting Viva Community Fitness at www.vivacommunityfitness.com.
   This is the Recreation Department’s first foray into offering courses that are not run directly by the department, said Steven Groeger, the township superintendent of recreation. The vendor — in this case, Viva Community Fitness — is responsible for registering participants, collecting the course fees and hiring the staff.
   Mr. Groeger said the Recreation Department would promote the programs, just as it promotes the ones that it offers. The Lawrence Township public school district has been notified and fliers have been placed on the district’s website.
   ”This goes back to last fall and the budget discussions over how to close the gap (between the revenue that the Recreation Department generates and the cost of operating the department,)” he said. Lawrence Township will receive 15 percent of the fees collected by Viva Community Fitness.
   In November, Mr. Groeger suggested to Township Council that “farming out” some programs — existing programs or new ones — to outside vendors would be an alternative to annual fee hikes. The vendor would pay a fee to Lawrence Township.
   Mr. Groeger said Tuesday afternoon that there is not enough money in the municipal budget to allow the Recreation Department to start new programs, so working with vendors such as Viva Community Fitness is one way to provide new programs at a reasonable cost and with no impact on the municipal budget.
   Lawrence Township sent out a request for proposals for new recreation programs, and Viva Community Fitness was chosen to offer the zumba and pilates programs, he said, adding that “we are going to see how this (approach) works.”
   ”It’s a win/win situation, because another program is being offered. In the scheme of things, it could bring in a fairly reasonable amount of revenue (if the concept grows),” Mr. Groeger said. Potential courses include tai chi and cooking classes, he added.
   The goal is to provide more recreation and leisure activities to residents, as well as to address the budget constraints, he said. .
   ”Clearly, one reason we are (working with outside vendors) is to generate more revenue. We want to close the gap, preferably by not raising (the Recreation Department) fees. This is one way to do that,” Mr. Groeger said.