Bel Air Athletic Membership shock closure leaves mother and father scrambling – Baltimore Solar

The Bel Air Athletic Membership will shut on Feb. 16 after offering health, social and academic alternatives to the Bel Air group for over 40 years.

The rationale for the closing, based on the membership’s web site, is that the “the owner determined to repurpose the property.”

“The closing of the Bel Air Athletic Membership is a horrible loss for the group,” Harford County Government Bob Cassilly stated in an announcement. “It’s a disgrace the City of Bel Air was unable to retain such a beneficial asset.”

The membership, positioned at 658 Boulton St., is owned by Wellbridge, a Denver-based firm that manages health properties throughout the nation. The corporate bought the membership in 2000, based on well being membership trade reviews. Wellbridge additionally owns the Maryland Athletic Membership in Baltimore.

“Because the COVID-19 shutdowns and their continued impression on our trade, Wellbridge possession has labored diligently with the owner to barter lease that results in a sustainable and wholesome enterprise,” based on a publish on the membership’s web site. “In conjunction, our workforce has routinely gone above and past to serve your well being and wellness wants whereas working to push the enterprise again to worthwhile ranges.”

Neither Wellbridge nor membership administration responded to The Aegis’ requests for info on Tuesday.

Edward Hopkins, Bel Air’s city administrator, stated he was “as shocked as everybody else,” and the closing was “model new info” for him.

“I’ve double checked with our Planning and Financial Improvement employees and nobody was conscious or had any inkling of their resolution,” Hopkins stated.

He stated he was unaware of the closing till discovering out Monday night time through Fb, which is what number of Harford County residents found the information. The closure rapidly grew to become a trending subject on Fb in Harford County, as residents posted about its demise and speculated on what is going to substitute it. One resident shared the creative rendering of the Retailers at Harford, the brand new buying middle being constructed adjoining to Harford Mall, which exhibits new flats behind the outlets. The membership is positioned behind The Shops at Harford development.

“Opposite to social media statements, we additionally know there isn’t a nexus between the proposed improvement at Harford Mall and the [Bel Air Athletic Club],” Hopkins stated. “We had no prior indication, in any respect, of the golf equipment’ closing or what the company proprietor intends to do with the property as soon as the enterprise is closed.”

Apart from health and different companies, the athletic membership provided a preschool for youngsters ages 2 to 4, and before- and after-school packages for youngsters in kindergarten by means of grade 8.

On Tuesday, Colleen Donahue, director of the First Presbyterian Preschool of Bel Air, stated that she has been busy responding to panicked mother and father who’re looking for placement for his or her youngsters in a good market, the place demand for childcare is excessive and openings are few. Between the time she opened and lunchtime on Tuesday, she’d given six excursions to folks, fielded quite a few calls and had greater than 20 e mail inquiries about slots for his or her youngsters.

“We really feel for the households,” Donahue stated. “The kids are simply getting a way of normalcy this faculty yr and now it’s being taken away from them. It’s 2020 another time.”

Donahue reached out to different preschool and daycare facilities by means of the Harford County Administrators Affiliation Fb web page to attempt to help the households. Facilities in Forest Hill and Bel Air responded however most admitted that availability is restricted, particularly for infants and toddlers.

Donahue’s middle has no openings for this faculty yr and can open registration for the following faculty yr on Jan. 23. She stated these openings can be restricted since most slots can be crammed by the siblings of presently enrolled youngsters.

Donohue additionally requested for placements for the lecturers who can be shedding their jobs when the membership closes subsequent month. She stated a number of lecturers have been employed by the membership for a very long time and described them as “all good individuals and actually nice lecturers.

“We’re simply attempting to downside resolve,” she stated. “This was not transition plan.”

Donahue, who has a household membership on the membership, additionally wonders why the homeowners and builders couldn’t wait till June to demolish the membership, so the youngsters might end out the varsity yr and the swim membership can end the season, she stated.

“You’re eliminating a wellness middle when individuals want it probably the most,” she stated.

Members who don’t try to cancel their membership can be billed 50% of their month-to-month dues for February and can be capable to use the membership till Feb. 16. Anybody who doesn’t want to use the membership in the course of the month of February should fill out an early membership cancellation form on the membership’s web site by Jan. 31.

All membership memberships can be canceled on Feb. 17.

Any clubgoers with questions concerning their membership can e mail BelAirClubClosing@wellbridge.com. Extra info may be discovered on the membership’s web site https://wellbridge.com/bel-air-athletic-club/.

The Aegis’ editor Maria Morales additionally contributed to this text.