Eaton Recreation Center — Local services in Eaton

Try this place out before purchasing a membership. We invested in a home gym in our garage since this gym did not meet our standards. A LOT of personnel have quit due to how this place is run. Rules are either strictly enforced or not at all. Depends on who you know and/or which employee is watching. If there is an issue... good luck.

Rec Activities: (recommend) The kids, adult, and active aging rec activities are constant, diverse, and year round. It remains hard for them to find volunteer coaches, which is a bummer, but they always seem to find enough. Our young kiddos are always in their rec leagues and love them! The courts and fields are well maintained and excellent condition. Games and practices always have a rec center employee to supervise their equipment and referee.

Weights/Cardio: (meh) Depending on what you are there for, you will either love or hate it. The area has an open layout on the second floor. Equipment is CRAMMED in the center space with a small track surrounding it. You are what the track people look at. There are 2 squat racks and a Smith machine. The squat racks were rarely open and other gym-goers would stop and stare at us as we lifted. With that, we felt that the majority of lifters there were definitely beginner - intermediate. The racks are not next to a mirror or wall but in the middle of the floor. You are on display which makes it hard to focus while lifting heavy loads and to check your form. The free weights are by a mirror and have a couple benches. The machines are fine. We rarely utilize machines. Same with cardio. Cardio machines divide the racks/free weight area from the weighted machines. we are not Cross Fit people. We do not endorse that lifestyle. I cannot tell you what Cross Fit equipment is in there.

Kids daycare: (do not recommend) Is this ever open? It is a room with a couple of baby-toddler toys. There is a tiny outdoor playset that I never see anyone using. Your kids have to be able to walk for them to watch them. So new moms, you are SOL. They just offered our kids coloring pages. Absolute disappointment. This is why you see kids on tablets sitting in chairs in the lobby area. The rec center should invest in a better child watch and people would come flocking.

Fitness classes: (meh) My mother does the Active Aging classes and loves them. I can see value in fitness classes but they usually have poor programming.

The pool: (do not recommend) Not a fan. The swim lessons are crammed in this tiny area and it is hard for the swimmers to hear their instructor and vise versa. There is very limited seating for parents to wait for their kiddos in the pool area and they may get wet from the splash area. The small children splash area is great and my kids loved it when they were smaller. When the slide is open, my older kids love it... when it is open. They also love swimming in the lazy river. They have high lifeguard turnover lately with new management.

The courts: (depends) There are 2 side by side with a large curtain separating them. We mainly use them for rec activities. Open...

Called today to pay for swim lessons for my child. Outlining the series of events that clearly define this facilities lack of care, and snobby attitude toward the people that use them (pay their paychecks) not sure names, so cast of characters below:

*Can’t be bothered teenager = receptionist *Lord of the can’t be bothered teenagers = moderately helpful manager *ERC = needs to raise standards

Call #1: attempted to pay balance with “can’t be bothered teenager”, they asked what my account number was. The account number I did not have. Just an invoice stating I needed to pay. “Can’t be bothered teenager” (after huffing and complaining about having to put down her nail polish and actually earn her keep) Directed me to call someone else, since they couldn’t look up by last name for some reason. Likely because that would take critical thinking, and therefore resemble actual work.

Call #2: called the referred person, who said they would create my account. Completed, asked that I call back to ERC to pay. Stated several times this would be seamless from here forward. Actually kinda helpful here.

Call #3: called ERC again, met with “can’t be bothered teenager”. Asked to now pay bill. Enter more huffing, and repetition of redundant questions such as “what’s the account number” and “I cannot look up your last name. What’s your account number?” After explaining about 7 times that I was told to give last name and tilt would be fine, was asked to hold for a moment. Phone set down, either unaware that I could hear the conversation with “Lord of can’t be bothered teenagers”. Conversation is as follows: Can’t be bothered teenager: “ugh, ugh, ugh, can you talk to this person? I literally. Can. Not. Deal. With. This. Karen. Ugh, ugh, ugh”

Enter Lord of the can’t be bothered teenagers: asks for my account number 3 more times, all while listening to me state I don’t have it. After the fourth time, asks what my card number is to processes payment. I ask to clarify how they can take payment without my account number, to which I get “oh, well that was what can’t be bothered needed, card number. Not account number” Clear lack of training, lack of care, lack of engagement and knowledge on the core fundamentals of the job. Providing services for a fee.

0/10 don’t recommend. Great candidate for either mass firing of staff and hiring event or on site training for all...

We are local to the area and have been to the community center before and had a great time, no complaints. We are a family of four, with two younger boys. But we had an absolutely terrible experience today. We had been in the pool for 10 minutes when the whole area got shut down due to “contamination”.

We waited for an hour for the pool to be re-opened. After some time, a lifeguard approached us and tells us we can go in the hot tub because the pool and hot tub are on separate systems. So we get in the hot tub, with my kids who are freezing at this point. Then another lifeguard approaches and says my son can’t be in the hot tub, after we were just told the opposite by the first lifeguard.

While we were there, other very polite kids came to warm up in the hot tub, and were also turned away with snappy responses and met with constant whistle blowing from the lifeguards.

It was an over and over repeat of this the entire time we spent at the pool. Kids aren’t allowed to throw balls, kids aren’t allowed to squirt each other on the playground, kids aren’t allowed to be kids.

Every lifeguard is a moody teenager on an extreme power trip. Lots and lots of kids were cold and shivering with blue lips from the water, and are snapped at for trying to get in the hot tub.

They are not watching out for safety, they are sitting on their butts in chairs or gossiping and flirting in the office. When they are out on “duty”, they are constantly picking on whatever person or child they feel like singling out.

So, as a frustrated parent who has just paid money for this experience, I stopped to let them know what’s happening at the front desk. I was brushed off and told “it’s all for safety” and “there is a birthday party, so the lifeguards are on high watch”. Well, there’s a difference between safety and letting mismanaged teenagers who don’t know what they are doing bully and control other kids. This kind of customer service at a community center is out of line.

We’ll go to the Fun Plex in Greeley next...