When the Larkspur Community Center opened up a year ago in the middle of the pandemic, fitness supervisor Alli Jorgensen kept busy running the center’s strength classes. But they weren’t quite what she had expected prior to the opening.

“We started out with online programs, teaching from our homes,” said Jorgensen. “It was difficult because you’re not talking to anyone; you can’t see their form, but it was cool; it was new, and different. It was the times.”

The times have changed, and while Larkspur still offers Zoom classes, in-person fitness classes have started, and Jorgensen and her team now teach dozens of people at a time inside the state-of-the-art facility. The staff at Larkspur proudly showed off these exercise rooms and other features on Tuesday as part of their one year anniversary celebration.

Jorgensen said Larkspur has evolved over its first year as the community experienced the facility for the first time. She said there was a learning curve at the beginning as many members of the public believed it to be part of the Bend Senior Center, to which it is attached.

“People didn’t really know about us. They thought of us as a senior center,” said Jorgensen. “But word started getting out, and now young people are coming, teenagers, the 20 to 50 set, so it’s great we get a good mix.”

Fitness classes for seniors are just part of the services being offered. There’s also high intensity exercise classes for younger adults, as well as a weight room. While the in-person class numbers were modest last year, class numbers continue to grow in 2022.

“Our classes are going gangbusters,” said Jorgensen, who teaches moderate-intensity total body strength programs. “There’s anywhere from seven people to 50 people in our classes. It’s going really well.”

In addition to its fitness machines, Larkspur also offers an indoor walking track and a multifunction pool. The pool features a current channel which is designed for water walking and water aerobics. For kids, the current channel is a fun way to float around the pool.

“It’s phenomenal, people are loving the water class,” said Jorgensen. “Sometimes you are going with the current, sometimes against it. There is a lot of balance work involved because that water is pushing you from all different directions.”

Development of the center took several years. Plans to build it started to formulate in 2011, and construction began in 2019. Brenda Chilcott, Larkspur’s facility manager, said the opening wasn’t exactly as planned due to COVID-19, but adjustments were made to keep the facility open. Mask mandates, staff shortages, social distancing and capacity rules were all challenges, said Chilcott.

“Our goal was to provide excellent services to the community and we have done that,” said Chilcott. “It has just taken a long road to get there.”

Chilcott said the center now offers 159 fitness classes a week and 39 water classes. Art Station programs have also been relocated to Larkspur for the next two years. Programs cater to Bend’s wide diversity of ages.

“We have some 99-year-old members. We have some who are under 3 months, so it’s definitely a multigenerational facility,” said Chilcott.

Programs are being added all the time, she said. The latest is the center’s Lunch and Learn program, held on Wednesdays, It features lectures by local experts.

Rosemary Kinnard, a senior patron of the center, said her favorite activities include the restorative yoga class and the circuit exercise class. Prior to the opening of Larkspur, she used to take fitness classes at the Bend Senior Center.

“Oh my gosh, it’s like night and day. They have so much more to offer now,” said Kinnard. “And it’s just an all around nice place. I am grateful for it.”

The social benefits of getting out and meeting new people are another plus for the center, said Kinnard.

“I have met friends here. It’s a bonus,” said Kinnard. “During COVID I walked by the river, but when this place opened I was so thankful to meet people and being with people.”

One of the lingering challenges after a tough first year is staffing, said Chilcott. Without enough lifeguards on staff, the pool closes for two hours on weekdays. She is looking forward to summer when high school students can make up the missing numbers.

“Right now we are having a bit of a challenge, but things are picking up, and the tide seems to be changing. People are coming back to work. There are no masks, which makes it so much better,” said Chilcott.

Chilcott said the one year anniversary gave her pause to reflect on the past year and noted that the attendance numbers were impressive despite the lockdowns.

“It was so surprising. We had 150,000 visits and we have served close to 8,000 pass holders,” she said. “For the first year, it was not what we expected, but we still did really, really well in bringing people in.”