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Shon Curtis, 18, of American Fork, works out at the American Fork Fitness Center. Curtis said he works out four times a week for a 2 and half hours each time. "You gotta look good," Curtis said, who is training to play rugby when he goes to college. LANCE BOOTH/Daily Herald

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Shon Curtis, 18, of American Fork, works out at the American Fork Fitness Center. Curtis said he works out four times a week for a 2 and half hours each time. "You gotta look good," Curtis said, who is training to play rugby when he goes to college. LANCE BOOTH/Daily Herald

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We like it. In a nutshell, that’s what American Fork, Alpine and Highland residents think about the American Fork Fitness Center.

Students in a class at Brigham Young University offered to do a survey at no cost to the city. It was to determine how residents of the three communities felt about the center, how often they use it, what value it is to them and their families and whether its swimming pool should be open year-round.

Members of the statistical analysis class decided to work with American Fork after the city applied for help.

“We wanted to see the amounts that residents see as the benefits,” said Eric Sawyer, the group leader at BYU.

There were 437 responses from both telephone and Internet surveys. Seventy percent were from American Fork residents, 17 percent from Highland and 13 percent from Alpine. Seventy percent of the respondents had used the fitness center in the past year.

Recreation director Derric Rykert said the results were positive.

“Overall there was a positive feedback from those that took the survey and from the team that put together the evaluation,” he said. One of the main answers Rykert wanted to find out was whether the public saw a value to having the swimming pool open throughout the year.

“They said it was important to maintain a year-round pool,” Rykert said. On a scale of one-to-five, having the pool open year-round garnered a 4.29 score. Rykert said he was pleased with the results.

“I was happy,” he said. “It is important to have in our community. People value having it here and the opportunity to use it. Even if they only come occasionally, it is important for them to have it available.”

Rykert will present the results to the City Council.

“They will have an opportunity to review it and see if it sparks any questions, see if there is anything they want to be studied further,” he said. “They can pick out a few things we can use in our day-to-day operations.”

He said the recreation and fitness center personnel would also give the study more scrutiny.

“There is a lot of information we are going to study and understand and implement as we evaluate our services that we offer and fees that we charge,” Rykert said. “We will try to make sure we are where we need to be.”

One of the things the city officials want to know is not only how much the public values the facility, but how much they are willing to pay for it.

As anticipated, the students found a correlation between a family’s income level and the incidence of having an annual pass. Rykert said that would enter into considerations when the staff is pricing the passes in the future.

“If we were to raise the price of an annual membership it would adversely affect those with a lower income,” he said. “We need to take that into consideration if we look at any fee increases.”

He also said there was a relationship between those who were aware of the facility and those who felt it was important. That could lead to an effort to make more people aware.

“The more we can get people to try it and see, the more people will like it,” he said. “Our facilities are heavily used, but maybe we can reach a few more people in a different way.”

Another point that Rykert found comforting is that the center received a 4.14 rating on a one-to-five scale for the satisfaction of service the public found at the center.

He said the staff had not yet made any changes in its operations based on the survey. They have, however, made changes previously. Those have reflected budget concerns and an effort to make the center more efficient, plus ways to make it more convenient for the public.

The hours have been slightly reduced, to save some money. The center is open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

During the summer months, there is an additional entrance open to the facility. It is on the south end near the pool, with access from the parking lot at 400 North and Center.

“The entrance is working well,” Rykert said. “We find that people who don’t want to fight the traffic use it. The swim team members and those who are taking lessons use it. It helps alleviate congestion.”

Employees at the center are also supposed to use the lower parking lot, on 400 North, which opens up more space near the building.

“That has been a help to open up some spots for parking,” Rykert said.

With the reduced hours for public use of the facility, the staff may rent the pool out for special occasions or groups.

“Church groups, businesses and families have been able to rent the pool in the evening for private parties,” he said. “It will increase revenue.”

The economic downtown has prompted some people to use the center more than they would otherwise have used it.

“We have been busy with people looking to stay home,” he said. “They were traveling somewhere, but they are staying here now. We want them to have a fun experience and still enjoy their summer.”