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Don Gronning
USK – The Camas Center for Community Wellness is one of the county’s true jewels.
“It’s a hidden gem,” says Tony Jones, a gym attendant/personal trainer who works at the center.
Jones started coming to the Camas Center about 10 years ago while working for Pend Oreille Valley Network. His then boss, Melannie Jones, introduced him to the center.
“She brought me here because she knew I didn’t want to miss the gym,” says Jones. “I’ve been a gym rat for quite a few years and she knew I had to work out so she introduced me to this place.”
Jones, 53, is a competitive body builder. Body builders are judged on their physiques.
“You go up on stage and do different poses,” he says. “They grade you on your form, your physique compared to the other guys. Who has the better chest, who has the better back better quads, you know, better biceps, whatever. They grade you on your body parts.”
Jones won second in his first competition about three years ago at the convention center in Spokane.
“I missed first place by a point,” he laughs. Located on the Kalispel Indian Reservation, the center has swimming pools, a sauna and steam room for men and women, a weight room and basketball court. In the teen center there is a ping pong table, air hockey, pool table and available computers.
Phil McCrory comes to the center a couple times a week, mainly in the fall and winter. He’s a retired PUD lineman from Franklin County.
“We swim a little bit, but not a whole bunch,” McCrory says. Mostly they use the gym. “We walk around the basketball court 15 or 20 laps.”
McCrory says it’s important to stay active. “It isn’t how much you lift, how much weight or whatever. Just keep them joints moving,” he says.
Beth Anheier was working out at the center the day this reporter stopped by. She started coming to the center several years ago. She comes to the Camas Center about five days a week.
“It’s great,” she says. “I do cardio, weights, then stretching and cool down.”
Cindy and Mike Boober come to the center regularly from Newport. Cindy recently retired from The Miner, where she was an advertising sales representative.
“We go every week, sometime twice,” she says. “We love everything about it.”
They swim laps and use the hot tub, steam room and sauna.
Boober says they’ve met a lot of people at the Camas Center.
“Our favorite is a retired Chicago police officer,” Boober says.
The female officer moved to the area after more than 25 years with Chicago Police Department. Boober says they’ve met a number of families from Priest River and Usk as well some of her former advertising clients.
Located on the Kalispel Indian Reservation, the Camas Center for Community Wellness is located at 1821 LeClerc Rd. N.
Opened in 2008, the 77,000 square foot, two-story building is funded primarily by proceeds from Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights and the Kalispel Casino in Cusick.
According to the tribe’s website, the center was created to deliver high-quality, holistic health care and a wide range of wellness services. The Center offers a range of amenities, including a medical and dental clinic, daycare, a fitness and recreation center, gymnasium, swimming pools, a rock climbing wall and business meeting rooms. The rock climbing wall is currently not available while the center awaits delivery of a part.
The aquatic center has a fourlane, 25-meter lap pool, an activity pool and a recreational pool with a slide.
The weight room features 40 exercise machines, including treadmills, rowing machines, stair-steppers, dozens of weight machines and a full-range of free weights. They also offer personal training.
The gym has a full-size court with six basketball hoops. People shoot baskets as well as play volleyball and pickleball there.
There are yoga classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting at 9 a.m.
The teen center has computers available for use, as well as ping pong, air hockey and a pool table.
The Camas Center offers several passes, including day passes and monthly memberships.
One adult family pass costs $50 a month. A two adult family pas costs $60 a month.
For adults aged 19-54, a monthly pass costs $35. For youth 18 and younger, the cost is $15 a month.
A Bronze level pass for adults 55 and older costs $20 a month.
A Silver pass for people 70 and older costs $10 a month and a Gold pass for people 80 and older costs $5 a month. Elders ages 90 and older are admitted free, as are children under age 2.
The day pass costs $5 for youngsters ages 8 and older and $10 for adults age 19-54.
The Camas Center for Community Wellness has 637 active memberships, with most members in the Bronze age group.
The busiest days of the week are Tuesday and Thursday, says Donna Molvik, principal publicist for the tribe. She says mornings, between 8 and 10 a.m. are when the most people check in.
The Boobers are appreciative of the Camas Center.
“We are thankful to have such a beautiful wellness center so close,” Cindy says.
