{"id":8818,"date":"2018-08-16T13:20:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T17:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/?p=8818"},"modified":"2018-08-16T13:20:27","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T17:20:27","slug":"warrentons-crown-jewel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/warrentons-crown-jewel\/","title":{"rendered":"Warrenton\u2019s Crown Jewel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility\u2019s gift of wellness<\/strong><\/p>\n

For visitors and new residents to Warrenton, the first impression of the building might be \u201cWow.\u201d Sited on a landscaped and verdant property just outside the town, it could easily be mistaken for the headquarters of a high-flying tech company.<\/p>\n

Instead, it belongs to all the residents of Fauquier County and beyond and has become beloved by those whose quality of life is enhanced by its existence.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the $23 million WARF. Please dock your body and step inside the world of wellness.<\/p>\n

\"\"Opened in September 2007, the 59,738 square foot facility features an 11 lane, 25 yard-by-25-meter, 364,000-gallon indoor competition pool; a 3,600-gallon therapeutic spa and a 68,000-gallon leisure pool with a water slide, lazy river with a zero-depth entry for easy access by youngsters and seniors.<\/p>\n

Oh, then there\u2019s the 3,200 square foot fitness room equipped with cycles, treadmills elliptical trainers, circuit training gear and free weights.<\/p>\n

The only thing missing is the discipline to take advantage of this workout wonderland; members and guests provide that.<\/p>\n

As it completes its first decade of existence, the WARF is poised to become even more integral to Fauquier County\u2019s healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n

All of this fun is orchestrated by Margaret Rice and her team. Rice, Director of Warrenton\u2019s Department of Parks and Recreation, has been with WARF almost from its beginning nearly 11 years ago. A more qualified director would be hard to conjure up.<\/p>\n

With a B.S. degree in music management, Rice worked for the Fairfax Symphony before earning an MBA with a concentration in finance. Not satisfied to rest on her sheepskins, she rounded out her educational resume by scoring a law degree.<\/p>\n

During a portion of her career she took time off to raise three daughters, reinforcing the old adage, \u201cIf you want something done, give it to a busy person.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the WARF is run like a Swiss watch, it\u2019s because its gifted administrator is winding the stem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a strange combination of degrees but weirdly all of them have applicability to what I do now. The law degree is especially handy in dealing with the many contracts here at WARF,\u201d said Rice.<\/p>\n

And what does she do? She has responsibility for all WARF operations plus the four town parks. Besides a paid staff of six, she manages about 100 part-time employees who run the day-to-day programs. A handful of volunteers staff the childcare room in exchange for free membership.<\/p>\n

Fees & programs
\n<\/strong>The fee structure for the facility is based on where one lives and if you elect to become a member or an occasional walk-in. The membership rates are based on residency location:\u00a0 in town, in Fauquier County or non-resident and range from $365 up to $575 annually. One day pass fees are based on residency and age and are priced from $4.50 to $8.50. Currently there are 1,700 members who are joined by many daily walk-ins.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how one gains admission to the facility once inside the fun begins\u2026seven days a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot going on, from pre-swim classes, fitness classes, yoga—both water and land—spin classes, Zumba and even something called \u201cPound\u201d that uses drums. That\u2019s really a workout and you don\u2019t even notice it because you\u2019re having so much fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, everyone finds something that works for them,\u201d said Rice.<\/p>\n

In fact, everything fitness is available for anyone seeking a better self; even the wee ones get in the act with over 2,000 children a year learning to swim and having fun on the water slide in the leisure pool.<\/p>\n

But not all the joy is within the facility\u2019s walls. A popular asset for both kids and parents is the sponge playground located on the right side of the building.<\/p>\n

Stocked with numerous kid pleasers such as jungle gyms, seesaws, swings and other self-play equipment, the entire surface is layered with a sponge-like material that protects children from cuts, scratches, and for the rest of us ear shattering screams of a child down on gravel or asphalt.<\/p>\n

But the fun jewel was not inexpensive with the playground\u2019s invoice coming to $250,000; worth every penny if parents get a vote.<\/p>\n

Another youth initiative was started this summer with the planting of a garden near the building. Youngsters come out and tend the plot and then go in for a swim. \u201cWe truly try to develop things that the community wants,\u201d said Rice.<\/p>\n

Revenues and the future
\n<\/strong>When the multi-million-dollar facility was built is was financed in part by bonds; that debt is being paid off over time. However, operating expenses are in line with income making the fitness center a self-paying operation.<\/p>\n

Last year, it produced an income of $1.356 million with expenses totaling $1.346 million. \u201cWeirdly, our revenue is divided into thirds; memberships, day passes and program fees,\u201d said Rice.<\/p>\n

Not one to rest on past successes, Rice sees opportunities for expansion of the WARF\u2019s community involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking at some interesting ideas but not quite ready to share yet. We\u2019d like to get into partnerships and like to do something with employee fitness and wellness. We\u2019re kicking around some ideas like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have WARF on Wheels where we send our instructors to nursing homes, schools and the community of disabled people and talk to them about fitness and do something with them, depending on the ability of the population we are dealing with,\u201d said Rice.<\/p>\n

She also sends instructors into the town parks for free outdoor fitness classes for folks who are unable to travel to the facility. \u201cWe are trying to reach out into the community and reach people who may not be able to come into the building but could benefit from having information on a healthy lifestyle and fitness, even showing the chair bound they can do exercise with their arms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda Wright, a resident of Warrenton, is not a weekly visitor to the WARF but enjoys it when she goes. \u201cI love that it\u2019s a clean facility. I love the lazy river, it\u2019s so unique. To have that in Warrenton is fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a friendly atmosphere. I like it when kids are around; the mix of age groups is great,\u201d said Wright.<\/p>\n

For Margaret Rice her job as director has been a joy. \u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful journey over the years finding our place in the community. It\u2019s so much fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our staff are the luckiest people in Warrenton. We get to see everybody in the community and they\u2019re all happy when they arrive here. I feel lucky every day when I come to work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For a full description of programs, hours, fees, special events and more, tap your keyboard for wellness at: \u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.warrentonva.gov\/government\/departments\/parks_and_recreation\/warf\/index.php<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Published in the August 15, 2018 edition of the Fauquier Times.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility\u2019s gift of wellness For visitors and new residents to Warrenton, the first impression of the building might be \u201cWow.\u201d Sited on a landscaped and verdant property just outside the town, it could easily be mistaken for the headquarters of a high-flying tech company. Instead, it belongs to all the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[945,943,944],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n