DC will eliminate fees at city's fitness centers in 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) - Fulfilling a New Year’s resolution to exercise more just got cheaper for D.C. residents.

The Washington Post reports (https://wapo.st/1NWglMI) Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation announced Wednesday that fees at city-run fitness centers will be eliminated next year.

The Department maintains fitness centers - which house standard gym equipment such as ellipticals, stationary bikes and free weights - at community centers in the city. For D.C. residents, it currently costs $125 for yearly access. The cost for non-residents, who will still have to pay in 2016, is $150 per year.

City spokesman Jordan Bennet says the fees generated about $10,000 annually, but city leaders decided the money generated wasn’t worth the number of people who might be dissuaded from using the facilities because of the cost.

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Information from: The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com