New Restaurant Caps Fitness Club Facelift
Members of the Apollo Beach Racquet & Fitness Club are getting more for their money these days.
That is because owner Mary Beth Sultenfuss has invested more than $1 million to renovate the facility she and her husband purchased in 1991, becoming its fourth set of owners.
"This has been here since the early 1980s," Sultenfuss said, adding that the original club, which offered only tennis, was built by Thomas Corr.
When Sultenfuss acquired the property the facility had been shut down for three months, she said.
She had to resurface the clay courts, clean the pool, put a roof over the racquetball court and replace the air conditioning and electrical wiring, she said.
"It was a mess," Sultenfuss said. "At the time, there were no members. We started from scratch."
Today, there are more than 300 members, and half are families, she said. The club has about 70 children in its after-school program.
The most recent renovation involved expanding the fitness facilities to include a new cardio room and equipment with flat-screen TVs; a free-weight area; and other fitness machines. The bathrooms were redone, a smoothie bar was added and the parking lot is scheduled to be resurfaced. Throughout the renovation project, the club remained open.
"It's been hard going through it, but the facility is a lot nicer now," said six-year member Carolyn White of Ruskin. "For a gym and for the money, it's the best-kept secret in South Shore."
"We're trying to add value to each membership," Sultenfuss said.
The biggest change is the addition of 7,000 square feet of space that includes a 93-seat restaurant and a 200-seat banquet room. The building is designed to accommodate a second floor.
"In the past couple of weeks, we've had a woman's group and two church groups inquire about when we'll be done," said Matt Permuth, general manager. Expected to open during summer, the restaurant will feature an executive-level chef.
"We're very excited about having him onboard," Permuth said. "He will be the center of our marketing campaign. The food will be affordable, and we'll have a variety of fresh menu offerings."
Permuth declined to name the chef because of competitive reasons but said the kitchen will have a chef's table, where guests can be invited to dine or make reservations for a special dining experience.
Two types of club memberships are available: swim and fitness only or swim, fitness and tennis. Individual and group swimming lessons are available through September in the 25-yard, six-lane Junior Olympic-size pool.
The club also is home of the Blue Wave swim team of Apollo Beach, an extension of the Blue Wave swim team of Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center. Tennis lessons are available for ages 5 to adult.
The club also offers sports camps for boys and girls throughout the year.
BY LOIS KINDLE
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