NOISY facility management By Barb Gormley What happens when your members


love the music rockin’ but your neigh- bours don’t? It’s 7:00 on a quiet Monday night


at a small Toronto Blockbuster video store. Outside, big flakes of snow fall quietly muffling the sound of the few cars slowly creeping by on the slippery streets. A handful of customers are si- lently perusing the DVDs. Suddenly, the overhead lights be-


gin to shake violently, and a deafening noise rains down from above. A vicious storm? A tornado? An earthquake? “Don’t worry,” says the laidback


sales clerk, glancing up from sorting DVDs to his customers’ startled looks. “It’s just the kickboxing class starting at the club upstairs. It’s every Monday night. You’ll get used to it after a few minutes.” “We have awesome neighbours,”


says Shelley Winters, general manag- er of Riverdale Fitness, the club that has resided in the space above the Blockbuster for 61 years. “They’ve nev- er complained about the noise once, even when we had a heavy lifting plat- form and guys were lifting and drop- ping upwards of 200 pounds onto it.” In fact, adds Winters, the noise from the class has inadvertently raised the club’s profile, and many Blockbuster shoppers are now Riverdale Fitness members.


Many businesses need quiet But Winters is extremely fortunate


to have such easygoing tenants below her club. Most club owners who share their walls, floors and ceilings need to spend time, effort and money to en- sure their activities don’t encroach on their neighbours’ ability to operate their businesses in a relatively quiet environment.


If you’re not located in a standalone


building, noise is an issue that you will likely need to deal with at some point, says Brian Bahm, owner of Atlantis Fitness in Georgetown, Ont. His club is in a three-story building in the cen- tre of town with a variety of business offices directly around him and a call centre above. “The call centre people need to be


able to talk without a ‘boom boom boom’ in the background,” says Bahm. “But at the same time we don’t want to switch over to elevator music. We have to maintain some music volume be- cause it’s what gets some people really pumped in classes.”


Think compromise Over his club’s six years in the space


(another club occupied the location previously), Bahm has come up with two solutions that have largely re- solved the noise issue for his club. “Our space is well insulated, but it’s


the bass in the music that really trav- els through the concrete and steel,” he says. “Our instructors also like to play the volume loud, so we put arrows on the stereo’s volume and bass control knobs that say ‘don’t go above here’ and this seems to help.” These two ba- sic steps have stopped complaints from the call centre management. (Bahm suspects that the young women work- ing the phones actually enjoy the music.)


Put it in the lease According to Ken Beallor, a leasing


lawyer at Torkin Manes Commercial Real Estate Group in Toronto, your pro- tection as a club owner is your lease.


Noisy Neighbours NEIGHBOURS


» Facility Management


gin to shake violently, and a deafening noise rains down from above. A vicious storm? A tornado? An earthquake? “Don’t worry,” says the laidback and neighbours.


sales clerk, glancing up from sorting DVDs to his customers’ startled looks. “It’s just the kickboxing class starting at the club upstairs. It’s every Monday night. You’ll get used to it after a few minutes.” “We have awesome neighbours,” neighbours,” she says. A nearby tan- ning salon, coffee shop and teashop regularly offer her staff members dis- counts and extras as a thank you for supporting them. They in turn do the same.


space above the


“Find a way to co-exist harmoni- ping upwards of 200 pounds onto it.”


t’s 7:00 on a quiet Monday night at a small Toronto Blockbuster video store. Outside, big flakes of snow fall quietly muffling the sound of the few cars slowly creeping by on the s alidpvpery streets. A handful of custom- ers are silently perusing the DVDs. sp Suddenly, the overhead lights be- says. He or she will be familiar with the language in the lease and, if neces- sary, can negotiate revisions to ensure that it protects you from your landlord


BY BARB GORMLEY I


“Be sure your lease acknowledges that you are running a club and that you have the right to play loud music, play televisions and conduct the normal activities of a fitness club,” advises Beallor. “Do all you can before you sign a lease to understand the prem- ises, the type of development, the risks involved and potential problems you could run into.” And when you’re hiring profession- als like engineers and architects to ise you on buildi g and designing your club, also bring on a lawyer who ecializes in commercial easing, he


Be a good citizen And don’t underestimate the power of simple goodwill and friendliness, says Riverdale Fitness’ Winters. “Our club is on friendly terms with all of our says Shelley Winters, general manag- er of Riverdale Fitness, the club that has resided in t


Blockbuster for 61 years. “The ’ve nev- er complained about the noise once, even when we had a heavy lifting plat- form and guys were lift ng and drop- ously with neighbouring busi esses, perhaps by offering to pass out dis- ount coupons for hovelling th t extr


ch other or by few feet of now


or th m when you're already out- members.


What happens when your members love the music rockin’ but your neighbours don’t?


In fact, adds Winters, the noise from tche class has inadveratently raised the c slub’s profile, and many Blockbuster s fhoppers are now Riverdale Fitness side shovelling your own snow,” says Winters. “You’re helping not only Many businesses need quiet hen they speak highly of you to their


to have such easygoing tenants below her club. Most club owners who share their walls, floors and ceilings need to spend time, effort and money to en- sure their activities don’t encroach on their neighbours’ ability to operate


them but your own business as well w But Winters is extremely f rtunate customers.”


28 Fitness Business Canada March/April 2011 28 Fitness Business Canada March/April 2011


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48