The club industry in the spotlight.
* Orchard Hills Athletic Club, Lancaster, Mass., is expanding its fitness, cardio, parking and children's areas. The cost of the improvements will exceed $2.2 million. The club has also budgeted $300,000 for new equipment. The expansion should be complete by the summer.
* In March, Inlet Fitness - a 15,000-square-foot club - will open for business in Long Bay Pointe Marina in Virginia Beach, Va. The facility will feature a private women-only gym, a main gym, group fitness programs, an entertainment system and kayak classes.
* Australian Body Works continues to fuel its expansion in the metropolitan Atlanta area with plans to open five new coed health clubs in Duluth, Lawrenceville, West Cobb, Roswell West and Alpharetta, Ga. Upon completion, Australian Body Works will have 27 fitness facilities in the local market.
* The Topeka City Council (Kansas) has approved a new building for the city's YMCA. According to the Y, the new facility will allow the organization to serve more Topekans. However, local commercial fitness centers have come forward to oppose the building, arguing that it creates unfair competition. At press time, the YMCA was moving ahead with the expansion.
* Harborside Athletic Club (Portsmouth, N.H.) now offers the Harborside Rock Gym. The new gym features 3,000 square feet of realistic rock interface, supported by steel framing. The rock wall reaches a uniform height of 42 feet, overlooking the scenic Portsmouth Harbor.