Murphy – “I just spent $600,000 for the new pool enclosure; I’m committed to the community for the long term. It’s why I signed a 30-year lease” with Cherokee County.
This is Murphy Health & Fitness owner Rodney Morris. His center held a grand re-opening on May 26-27 after dusting off the emptiness due to COVID-19.
“We’ve got all new equipment in the gym and everything is freshly painted and cleaned,” he said while touring the community through the expansive building. He stopped in front of a dark room with what looked like Barcaloungers stretched out in full recline.
“This is our hydro-massage lounge,” he said reverently. The chairs massage the muscles using heated water designed to reduce inflammation and speed up muscle recovery between workouts.
However, the pride of his refurbished fitness center is the bright white covering over the pool and amenities.
“The Southwestern Commission helped me with financing,” Morris said, sweeping his arm across the enclosure. “With this covering, we can keep the pool open all winter.”
A new addition to the pool deck is a sauna.
“Have you ever been in a sauna before, because this is a great one,” he said with his typical high-energy laugh.
Morris owns two other fitness centers in Franklin and Clayton, Ga., but feels the Murphy center is special.
“We’ve got the nicest pool in the surrounding area,” he said. “The high school swimmers from Murphy, Tri-County Early College, Andrews and Hayesville can use the pool for their meets.”
The center boasts 1,500 members, which puts it at half capacity. Morris feels it’s needed in Murphy.
“The people who aren’t healthy are mainly that way because of lack of education,” he said.
“They may think that gym memberships are expensive or out of reach.”