CARTERET — The Robert Wood Johnson Fitness and Wellness Center at Carteret is just a few months from completion, Mayor Dan Reiman and Councilwoman Susan Naples have announced.

According to the borough’s Department of Engineering, most of the exterior work has been completed, with parking and streetscape additions currently in progress. The majority of interior construction should be completed by early September, according to borough officials, with the facility’s doors opening to the public by the end of October.

Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) was named the operator of the borough’s long-awaited health center in January, selected through a competitive review and selection process. Reiman has said that their proposal best fit the vision and objectives of his administration and the needs of the community.

Reiman said, “We have envisioned a state-of-the-art facility that goes beyond standard fitness. We’re after a comprehensive range of resources that will encompass professional rehabilitative services and a progressive approach to ‘wellness.’ Robert Wood Johnson clearly fit the mold.”

Construction on the “health and wellness center” project first broke ground in 2009. Plans for the 42,000 square foot facility have evolved since its original conception, and now include provisions for a 7,000 sq. ft. aquatics center that will host a junior Olympic sized swimming pool and therapy pools. According to borough officials, the aquatics center, along with the facility’s many other amenities will be tailored to meet a wide variety of health, fitness, and recreational needs, and will allow for programs and services that benefit every age group.

The center will also house cardiovascular and weight rooms, aerobics studios, a multi-purpose sports room, physical therapy facilities, a daycare center, and a health food café.

According to contract, “Fitness & Wellness of Carteret, LLC,” a new private entity established under the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center of Rahway, has entered into a 20-year lease with four (five year) extensions.

“This is one of many unique public-private partnerships that have been established over the course of this administration,” Reiman added, “whereby private enterprise has been fostered in exchange for benefits directly seen by the community. We expect the ‘Robert Wood Johnson Fitness and Wellness Center at Carteret’ to be the hub of some tangible growth in the Borough, and the source of better living for residents throughout the region.”

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway is an acute care hospital serving Union and Middlesex counties, providing 24-hour emergency services, cardiac care, hematology-oncology services, critical care, orthopedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery. The hospital has gained renown for its rehabilitation services, which include physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, speech and swallowing therapies. The hospital is home to Care Connection, a sub-acute unit that uses extensive rehabilitation services to ease the transition from acute care hospitalization to home.

The hospital provides full diagnostic and laboratory services. It also offers extensive outpatient services, including wound care, balance testing and treatment, imaging, sleep care and pain management. The hospital’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs are consistently praised by participants for their ability to motivate, build strength, stamina and improve quality of life.

For more information, visit http://www.rwjfitnesscarteret.com

Read the original article: http://njtoday.net/2011/08/05/%E2%80%9Cfitness-wellness-center-at-carteret%E2%80%9D-nears-completion/