<\/p>\n
After months of construction, The Rock Lounge, a rock climbing gym, plans to reopen in two weeks at a new location on east 30th Street in Durango.<\/p>\n
The new training space will fill a void that was left when it was forced to leave its location at 1111 Camino del Rio to make way for a new hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not about a business, this is about a community center,\u201d gym owner Marcus Garcia said.<\/p>\n
The gym is moving into a building formerly home to Treasures by Therese, an antique store. The shop at 111 E. 30th St. had an unfinished feel to the interior, which will be somewhat maintained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is to keep that garage feel,\u201d Garcia said. The building has gone through a major transformation inside and outside, but the interior will be reminiscent of earlier days of rock climbing when many people trained at home, he said.<\/p>\n
Garcia planned to open the new gym last summer, but the construction timeline was set back by city requirements to upgrade the exterior of the building, he said.<\/p>\n
Garcia\u2019s longtime friends, Jean and Andy Gresh, bought the building as an investment and oversaw the exterior construction. The couple started talking with the city in April and received a building permit in mid-October, Jean Gresh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe continual changing of the required improvements caused the delay,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The couple put in paved parking, drainage, an accessible 8-foot sidewalk and a new corrugated metal wall requested by a neighbor to prevent light pollution.<\/p>\n
The couple was not required to do anything that is not typically required by the city\u2019s review process, Planning Manager Scott Shine said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process and requirements were clearly communicated to the property owners and business owner,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During the interim closure, climbers trained outside during the mild winter and at Crossfit Catacombs, a gym on Main Avenue, Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Garcia also trained the eight members of Durango\u2019s U.S.A. Youth Ice Climbing Team at his house and on a temporary climbing wall ahead of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation\u2019s Ice Climbing World Cup Championship in Lichtenstein.<\/p>\n
The team placed fourth at the championships, which reflected its commitment to training, despite the circumstances, Garcia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids are just so determined and focused,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Garcia oversaw most of the interior improvements, which started in November. The remodeled 5,500-square-foot building will have about 2,200 square feet of climbing space, dedicated mostly for bouldering, or climbing without ropes. It will also have a space dedicated to training ice climbers.<\/p>\n
In addition to gym facilities, the building will have two small offices for rent.<\/p>\n
Once reopened, Garcia expects the gym will serve the public, as well as Animas High School, Mountain Middle School and Timberline Academy students, as it did previously.<\/p>\n
A second phase of construction will include a classroom area and space for climbers to practice with ropes. The gym is raising money for the next phase of construction on the crowd-funding site GoFundMe<\/a>, and Garcia expects to do more fundraising at the gym\u2019s grand opening.<\/p>\n The Rock Lounge expects to open to the public Feb. 23, and a grand opening will be held on March 24.<\/p>\n