FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2008

CITY OF ST. CHARLES AND SHOWME AQUATICS & FITNESS UNVEIL PLANS FOR UNIQUE COMMUNITY CENTER BOND ISSUE ON AUGUST 5 BALLOT TO HELP FUND PROJECT

ST. CHARLES, MO., May 6, 2008 – The City of St. Charles, Missouri and ShowMe Aquatics & FitnessSM today announced the first step towards construction of a long-sought community center. The Community Freedom Center will be constructed on the former K-Mart site off Veterans Memorial Parkway, adjacent to Interstate 70. The plan calls for a dynamic, barrier-free recreational facility for people of all ages and abilities. The Community Freedom Center will have an exciting mix of features and benefits that are collectively available in no other single facility in the world.

“St. Charles residents have consistently told us they want a community center for the city,” said the Hon. Patti York, Mayor of St. Charles. “We are excited to announce this landmark project today, not only for the people of St. Charles, but for the entire St. Louis region. We believe this state-of-the-art facility will become the benchmark for all future community centers built across the United States.”

The $38 million Community Freedom Center will be a fitness, aquatic and recreation facility that maximizes leading innovations in architecture, technology and programming to provide a barrier-free environment. People of any age and ability will benefit from programs and services offered and all features of the facility.

The city and ShowMe Aquatics both stressed that the shared resources and expertise they bring to this project will provide the highest quality services for the citizens of St. Charles, while combining resources also means cost savings for each party. The partnership will allow the facility to operate in the years to come without any subsidy from St. Charles taxpayers, which is rare for a facility of this kind.

“This project has been nearly two decades in the making,” said Sue Schaeffer, co-founder and past chair of ShowMe Aquatics & Fitness. “The Community Freedom Center will be the culmination of ShowMe’s dream and long-standing mission to build a facility with leading-edge technology and design so that it is accessible to everybody. We will have the ability to offer programs and services that reach everyone, of any ability, so that they may use the entire facility.”

In addition to the facility’s features, ShowMe’s expertise in inclusionary programming and the skill of the staff will set the Freedom Center apart. Since it will be managed by ShowMe, a mission-based organization, the Center will also provide scholarships for those individuals or families unable to pay for services as well as competitive membership rates and no membership contracts. In addition to traditional recreation programs, ShowMe will also provide unique services such as veterans programs, weight management and in-water massage.

The 120,000 square-foot Community Freedom Center will feature:

• 16,000 sq. ft. fitness center featuring state of the art equipment and specialized program areas for all ages and abilities – including teens and seniors
• An indoor water park
• The largest indoor track in the region
• 4 multi-temperature pools
• 2 full-size gymnasiums and 1 auxiliary gymnasium for indoor soccer and roller hockey
• Hot tub, sauna and whirlpool
• Lap lanes & water exercise
• Community meeting rooms
• Dedicated senior activity center
• Dedicated teen activity center
• Leisure lounge, café and Wi-Fi access
• Outdoor pavilions, children’s outdoor play areas

To fulfill the dream of building the Community Freedom Center, ShowMe Aquatics & Fitness will bring $10 million in funding to the project, plus build an endowment fund to ensure services for future generations. The City of St. Charles, Missouri, will ask voters to approve Proposition C on the August 5 ballot, a bond issue authorizing up to $30 million in General Obligation Bonds to fund the City’s portion of the project.

“We have been exploring for many years the best way to create a community center for St. Charles, and ShowMe Aquatics has been doing the same,” Mayor York said. “After careful consideration of the amenities our community wants, and the most cost effective way to build and operate a world-class facility, we concluded that a partnership with ShowMe made the most sense for our community and our taxpayers.”

Preliminary work is expected to begin in late 2008. Construction of the Community Freedom Center is expected to begin in 2009; with a grand opening planned for late summer 2010.

ShowMe Aquatics & Fitness’s mission is to promote health, fitness and quality of life in an environment that is as accommodating, accessible and barrier-free as possible.