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Mason officials are hoping new pass packages at

the Mason Community

Center will make it more competitive.

Lifetime Fitness and other venues have hit the MCC hard in the past year — revenues are down 20 to 30 percent from last year. So the city has come up with some new items on the menu of pass options.

The MCC has instituted a new VIP Membership, which for $983 a year — or $81.90 a month — a resident will receive these additional

services:

• drop-in baby-sitting,

• drop-in group exercise classes,

• a free fitness

consultation,

•10 free VIP guest passes,

• the lowest fee rate for all parks and recreation

programs,

• a 50-percent discount at the Lou Eves Municipal Pool.

The center also is offering a new monthly pay-as-you-go membership for $57.90 per residential family. The rate includes administrative and convenience fees so the required $50 sign-up fee will be waived.

City council on Monday, July 14, also approved an annual cost-of-living increase — tied to the consumer price index — to all of the rates, which take effect in January.

Councilman Todd Wurzbacher, who chairs the MCC Committee of Council, said the rates still are far below competing fitness clubs, which can cost as much as $1,500 a year. Some years the center has instituted a rate hike and other years not; Wurzbacher said they wanted some consistency.

"When we have taken rate increases in the past there was no scientific formula behind it, we just said we think we'll raise them and raise them this much," he said. "That was a very savvy way of doing business. Now we'll have something that is easy and justifiable."

Councilwoman Christine

Shimrock asked if people could "toggle" back and forth between the pay-as-you-go and the VIP passes, "I'm going to open a Pandora's box," she joked.

City Manager Eric Hansen said there's is no toggling allowed, that's why they included the discount for the outdoor pool, so the VIP is a pass for all seasons.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.