DC Will Eliminate Fees At City's Fitness Centers In 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fulfilling a New Year's resolution to exercise more just got cheaper for D.C. residents.

The Washington Post reports Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the city's Department of Parks and Recreation announced Wednesday that fees at city-run fitness centers will be eliminated next year.

The Department maintains fitness centers -- which house standard gym equipment such as ellipticals, stationary bikes and free weights -- at community centers in the city. For D.C. residents, it currently costs $125 for yearly access. The cost for non-residents, who will still have to pay in 2016, is $150 per year.

City spokesman Jordan Bennet says the fees generated about $10,000 annually, but city leaders decided the money generated wasn't worth the number of people who might be dissuaded from using the facilities because of the cost.

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