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Wellington clarifies public access, hours and memberships for Wellington Sports Academy partnership
Summary
Staff said Wellington’s agreement with the Wellington Sports Academy reserves one full-size court for village open play Monday–Thursday 6–10 p.m.; residents may use that open-play court free during those hours, nonresidents pay $5, and broader gym and amenities will operate under paid membership tiers available on the academy’s website.
Village staff clarified details of the newly formed public–private partnership with Wellington Sports Academy (WSA), explaining how public access and memberships will work once the facility becomes fully operational.
Eric Chug, Parks & Rec director, said the village’s agreement provides the village with one full‑size court that the public may use Monday–Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. The committee selected open‑play volleyball as the initial public program for that court. Chug said Wellington residents will be able to use that open‑play court at no cost; nonresidents pay $5 for open‑play participation.
Chug described two workout gyms in the facility: one will be open to the public under a membership model (three tiers were described in general terms), and the other gym will be reserved for WSA’s internal academy programs and not available for public use. Staff said memberships are listed on the academy’s website now and the academy expects to open fully in about one to two months, although some equipment and final setup remain outstanding.
On other terms, staff said WSA may run internal programs, tournaments and paid academies during times that do not conflict with the village’s reserved public open‑play hours; the academy will also have agreed rights to use certain village fields as part of the arrangement. Staff framed the partnership as Wellington’s first large-scale public–private recreation partnership and said the village receives an annual repayment to cover its bond contribution to the facility.
Committee members asked when public access to the academy weight rooms and other amenities would be rolled out. Staff reiterated that the public membership option is available now via the academy’s site and that more operational details (membership tiers, opening date and equipment availability) will be shared as the academy completes setup.
Staff emphasized that most other WSA programming (tournaments, travel basketball, academy training) is separate from village‑run programs and that staff will continue to coordinate scheduling to avoid conflicts. The committee asked staff to provide a tour of the facility for new members when scheduling permits.
