Hermiston Athletic Club preparing to rise from the ashes

Published 2:00 am Tuesday, July 23, 2019

HERMISTON — Three years after a fire gutted the Columbia Court Club, a new athletic facility is taking shape there.

The Hermiston Athletic Club will open this fall at 80903 N. Highway 395 after an extensive remodel that is completely changing the look and layout of the building.

“Anyone who has been in here before is not going to recognize it,” HAC manager Rodger Adams said.

There is still a lot of work to be done — the front wall of the building is currently missing and the roof is slated to be torn off next — but Adams said they’re shooting for an opening date at the end of September. The basketball court at the back of the building is already open and being used for youth basketball clinics.

Adams said the Hermiston Athletic Club will have standard gym equipment, such as free weights and treadmills, plus hydromassage, a shooting machine and other offerings. The new layout will include space for racketball, an indoor track, basketball and volleyball courts and a dedicated area for youth sports training. The building will also feature more parking than the old club, with a more open and accessible floor plan.

They will offer activities ranging from a “full lineup” of fitness classes to nutrition counseling to adult basketball leagues. Adams said they’re working to build relationships with area school districts so that the facility will be an option for youth sports training and clinics.

The property is under new ownership, after the old court club’s owner Steve Watkinds sold the business in 2018. The fire that tore through the inside of the building in June 2016 was ruled accidental, caused by an electrical short on the upper floor. Watkinds had originally hoped to reopen the business himself, but after two years of back-and-forth with the insurance company said he had decided to let “the younger generation” take a crack at resurrecting the damaged building.

New owner Orien Fiander said in an email that reopening an athletic facility there will fill a need in Hermiston, which is “an exceptionally hard-working community who support local sports and are big into family.”

“The Hermiston community is absolutely great,” he said. “I just love the town.”

Adams said Fiander has more than 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. Adams grew up in the area and moved away for about 15 years to manage two gyms in the St. George, Utah, area before deciding he wanted to return to the Pacific Northwest.

Adams said pre-sales for memberships will start in August, which is when he’ll start looking at staffing too. He said they are still working on price points but will offer “pretty standard” membership options.

For more information, visit www.hermistonathleticclub.com.