2021 was a year of new beginnings for a host of places in Orem. That includes the newly updated Orem Fitness Center.

Earlier in the year, Orem announced that Bryce Merrill would be the new director of Recreation for the city. Merrill was a former employee of the Provo Rec Center.

Now, Mariah Shirley has been named facilities manager which includes jurisdiction over the Fitness Center and the Scera Pools.

Shirley is also a former employee of Provo recreation. She brings to the table not only modern ideas and understanding of what fitness means in 2022, but is an Orem native that understands her community and proudly has several friends that use the fitness center.

According to Merrill, there were several contenders for the job, but Shirley’s expertise was a step or two above the rest.

“She was operations supervisor at the Provo Rec Center,” Merrill said. “Her talent and expertise in the interviews were very impressive.”

If you ask Shirley about the job she would tell you it is just plain fun.

Since the Fitness center opened, it has seen a growth in memberships from 12,000 to more than 20,000. According to Merrill, those new members of mostly families and young professionals.

Merrill notes that one of Shirley’s strong points is her engagement with the public and her experience with large recreation centers.

“I grew up in Orem and graduated from Timpanogos High School. There are so many people I know at the center,” Shirley said.

Shirley says she sees exciting opportunities for 2022 and the future. Currently she is growing the staff and team at the center and is having fun with some of the new ideas they have presented. A handful are expected to be unveiled this coming year.

Shirley says she would also like to see a few changes at the Scera pools in the future, changes that will only come after her team is in place.

“It feels comfortable here,” Shirley said. “People feel engaged. It’s satisfying to be here.”

Shirley said she started using the fitness center before she applied for the job just to see if that were a place she would like to work and the answer was a resounding “yes.”

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