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Every weekday, two friends meet at the Finley gym. Margie Montoya and Amalia Aragon believe their morning chats and workouts provide a great start to the day.
Montoya said that since retiring from Walmart, getting up and having a routine has helped her feel motivated and also helped her knees.
Aragon said it’s hard to exercise on cold days, but the gym is warm, and the atmosphere is comfortable.
They both agree that Michael Padilla is kind and helpful. When the weather was bad, and the entrance was slippery, Margie said he came out to help her walk up the ramp.
Padilla, the City of Socorro Recreation Director, said they purchased new gym equipment just two months ago and opened it up to the public in time for new year’s resolutions.
“We have treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, Stairmasters, and then we have six new cages that we brought in. We have a leg press, EZ bar curls, straight bar curls, two sets of dumbbells and all new weights.” Padilla said.
Currently, Padilla reported that ten city employees and 15 paying members have signed up so far, with hopes that more will join soon.
“The fire department. They come over here to work out, play basketball. I have some guys from the street department, Julio, I have him from trash department. He comes in on his break and works out,” Padilla said.
At night some members bring their own equipment and practice kickboxing. He hopes that they can expand with a boxing area once the remodel is complete.
He said the gym is family-friendly, and kids under 16 can come with their parent’s supervision.
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When the young kids have basketball practice, he notices some parents take advantage of the time and use the gym.
The current hours are Monday through Friday, with extended hours on Saturdays due to basketball activities. Once basketball ends in March, the hours will return to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Gym use is ten dollars a month and free for city employees.
