Mary Howard Health Center Expansion Completed, Newton Athletic Club Follows

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Last week the Newton Athletic Club broke ground on a $12 million expansion project. According to the plans, the size of the 6,000-square-foot fitness center will double, and new sports facilities will be added to the complex. Phillyburbs.com reports that the first phase of the project includes a new driveway and entrance off Pheasant Runn. Once this part is completed, the existing Penns Trail entrance will be closed.

The revamped 12,000-square-foot fitness center is expected to open in January 2012. Reportedly, the club’s existing baseball academy will be demolished, and an outdoor pool complex will be built on the site by May 2013. The expansion plan also includes a new field house and baseball academy, which will be ready to welcome its members in October 2012. It is estimated that when the project is completed, the club will occupy more than 275,000 square feet on a property of more than 20 acres.

According to Jim Worthington, the club’s owner, the new outdoor swimming pool will have water features, outdoor seating and many other facilities that usually are found in a resort. Worthington says that he hopes to add the Newton Athletic Club to America’s finest high-end fitness centers.

In other real estate news, the Philadelphia Business Journal announced the completion of the Mary Howard Health Center expansion project. Six exam rooms were added to the health center, and the patient waiting room was expanded. Also, a nurse triage room and an education room were added to the facility. The Mary Howard Health Center is the only health care center in Philadelphia that serves exclusively the homeless, assisting 2,100 patients and handling 7,000 patients per year.

The health center received $879,450 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and an additional $635,000 grant was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, according to the Business Journal. Other funds were received from donations from churches, individuals and businesses.