Membership and revenue at the Monterey Sports Center, a city-funded gym, is down 50% post-pandemic. "Folks are worried about going into a facility in close proximity of others, some people not using masks, using equipment and passing things around. So I think there's just some concern about the pandemic..." City Councilman Tyller Williamson said. Before the pandemic, the Sports Center had about 8,000 members and brought in an annual revenue of $4.5 million. The Monterey City Council held a special meeting Wednesday night to discuss the issue and approve receipt of an operational analysis for the Sports Center. An outside consultant will be hired to perform the analysis. Sports Center staff anticipated a slow recovery and reduced the gym's hours of operation to minimize expenses. Towel service, food service and babysitting services were also temporarily suspended, and the physical therapy program was discontinued. The Sports Center's manager, Andrea Willis, says it will look to the operational analysis to help decide on what services to bring back. "The landscape has changed, you know, for the fitness industry for the recreational industry. So having experts in best practices, in analytics, in marketing, and branding will really benefit us in trying to make a roadmap going forward," Willis said. Willis says membership levels are positively increasing, all things considered. The Sports Center says that since staff began publicly talking about their significant membership decline, they've experienced a spike in sales. In April, May and June, revenue jumped 52% higher than the previous fiscal year. What's more, to promote its 30th anniversary, the Monterey Sports Center offered a single-day promotion, resulting in 445 memberships and $24,931 in revenue. But compared to other gyms, the Monterey Sports Center is still falling behind. According to the general manager, Tony Macias, Gold's Gym in Monterey says membership levels are at about 75% of what they were pre-pandemic. At its Hollister, Watsonville and Salinas locations, membership is at 80-90%. Macias anticipates Gold's Gym will have more members compared to before the pandemic. Nationwide the fitness industry lost billions of dollars during the course of the pandemic, and according to the National Health and Fitness Alliance, 22% of health clubs and studios closed permanently.