By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
THREE RIVERS — The closures of longtime institutions in the Three Rivers area in the last month is adding another to its ranks.
In an email to members Tuesday morning obtained and confirmed by the Commercial-News, Beacon Health and Fitness, formerly and colloquially known by some in the community as HealthTRAC, announced they would be closing their doors on Sept. 30 after nearly 30 years in business in the city.
Beacon Health System, which owns the facility, said in the email that the closure is due to the fitness center “not generating enough revenue to support its ongoing operation.” The company added that their administration had “explored a variety of ways” to “strengthen and sustain the facility,” including ways to grow membership and expand programming prior to announcing the closure.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Beacon said in the email.
The email stated that outpatient therapy services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and cardiac rehabilitation, will remain open and continue serving patients at the facility. However, the last day of operations for the fitness center, gym, and pools would be on the 30th, and will also include the closure of the aquatic therapy program.
Beacon said current members would have the option to transfer their membership to other Beacon Health and Fitness locations in Kalamazoo, Elkhart, Ind., or Granger, Ind., and existing memberships would automatically expire on Sept. 30. They said they are also offering the first month at their other facilities for free with no obligation for current members, and those who join one of the other locations would pay no enrollment fee through the rest of 2026.
They added they are also in communication with other fitness providers in the area and would share any special rates or membership options they may offer for current Beacon members.
In a statement to the Commercial-News Tuesday, Beacon Health System did not provide much further comment on the reasons for the closure beyond their email to members, but said they would also be providing support to affected employees at the Three Rivers locations, “including opportunities for placement at other Beacon Health & Fitness locations and available positions across Beacon.”
“Beacon Health & Fitness Three Rivers has been part of the community for nearly 30 years. We are grateful for the support of our members and proud of the role the facility has played in promoting health and wellness in the Three Rivers community,” Beacon said in its statement.
With the closure of Beacon Health and Fitness, it is the third major closure of a longtime place of business in the Three Rivers community within the last month. In mid-August, it was revealed that the Harding’s Friendly Market grocery store, which had been in business for several decades, would close on Sept. 10, while on Aug. 18, the Dad’s Place diner on the south side of Three Rivers shut down operations after 36 years in business.
Beacon Health and Fitness opened in Three Rivers as HealthTRAC in 1997, and was ran by Three Rivers Area Hospital, later known as Three Rivers Health. Over the years, it offered a number of amenities, including the fitness center, a pool, basketball courts, and a running track, and is the home of many physical therapy services through the hospital. Beacon Health System changed the name of the facility to Beacon Health and Fitness when they acquired the hospital in 2021.
Members of the facility told the Commercial-News Tuesday they were disappointed by the move. Karen Risch, who has been going to the facility since 2008, said she was “devastated” about the closure.
“We have been going since 2008 and have always utilized the gym in one fashion or another whether it was classes, weights, the sauna or the indoor track,” Risch said. “We will miss it, for we believe it was truly a valuable part of our community.”
Judy Spencer, who has been coming to Beacon Health and Fitness since it opened in 1997, and nowadays stops by two or three times a week, said it was “shocking and devastating” to hear about the facility’s closure.
“I had no idea they would close this down as well as things have been going and all the people that come here. Look at these parking lots, they’re full all the time. There are good people that work here, and people got along well,” Spencer said. “For me, it’s going to be a big loss. It’s part of what I do.”
Deborah Kosty, who took part in multiple classes at the facility, said the closure was “very upsetting,” and that it would be a “huge” loss to the Three Rivers community because “there’s nowhere else to go.”
“I’m new to the community, and this was a major place for me to come and meet people and enjoy the community, learn about the community. I liked the location, as I’m here in Three Rivers and all the other locations are too far for me to be traveling,” Kosty said. “I really feel sorry for the folks, the elderly that come here and are able to get a very big social network as well as exercise. … It’s going to be devastating, I think.”
In its email to members, Beacon thanked the Three Rivers community for their support of the Health and Fitness building over the years.
“We are grateful for the relationships we’ve built in Three Rivers and sincerely appreciate your support,” the email stated.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
If you had no idea this was coming and were genuinely shocked, as the article suggests, you must be daft. I loved this gym, but it was never particularly well managed. It had big city prices for those of us living in a rural area, had far too many rules, and the management and staff often treated customers as though we were privileged just to be members, rather than remembering that the customer should always come first.
I always hoped things would change, but I’m not at all surprised by this news. In fact, over the past few years, I’ve often told people that I was surprised it was still open betting it surely soon will close.
Too bad. This was a nice facility but had always struggled to be self sufficient.
Agreed. PT and Rehab kept it going. Still, hard to lose the community that was built here. People don’t gather in churches or clubs so much as the gym these days.