Full Speed Ahead
In honor of Town Square’s 10th anniversary on June 25, we will be sharing notable moments in our history.
As a self-described “cardio junkie” living in Green Lake, Elizabeth Goodspeed relies heavily on the gym to get her through the time of year when outdoor exercise is less than ideal.
“Health and wellness has always been an important part of my life. I’m a runner and biker and paddler,” she said. “Having a place for a fitness routine is one of my life’s necessities and that's what really struck me about Town Square, especially in a little town like Green Lake.”
Town Square officially opened to the public in 2012, with co-founder Phil Burkart and Fran Hill leading the charge. In 2013, with fitness programs and classes already some of the new community center’s most popular offerings, Town Square opened Green Lake Fitness, a fully-equipped wellness center with cardio, weights and visitor-friendly membership options.
Elizabeth became a fitness center regular when she moved to Green Lake fulltime in 2016. While she originally hoped to find a space for cross-training and strength training, Elizabeth ended up finding so much more.
“The fitness center was a spot where I initially found connection with someone, on treadmills literally right next to each other, in a welcoming space,” she said.
Elizabeth met another new resident, Jaimie Humbert, at Green Lake Fitness and the two became fast friends.
“Jaimie and I were both new full-time residents of Green Lake, having lived in Illinois. We both had careers in education. We had lots of similarities. I’m so grateful to have made a like-minded friend who values fitness.”
The friendships, both with other gym members as well as operators and trainers, were as valuable to Elizabeth as the fitness opportunities themselves. So when the fitness center needed to find a new home last year, Elizabeth approached Fran with an offer to help.
“My husband and I felt that the fitness center was really important to Green Lake,” Elizabeth said. “A main pillar of Town Square is its commitment to fitness and wellness opportunities so it was a priority of the staff and board to find a new home for Green Lake Fitness.”
Elizabeth played a key role in spearheading the new Green Lake Fitness at Town Square which is scheduled to open by the end of May. After looking at options within Town Square, they decided on a bright and airy space on the first floor, right off the main lobby,
“It’s going to be great having it on the first floor in a high traffic area,” Elizabeth said. “It’s the perfect Green Lake-sized gym that’s light and airy overlooking the Mill Pond. I'm really hopeful that it’ll be a calming and inspiring place to be.”
Another important element to Elizabeth was offering affordable gym memberships. Monthly memberships are $15, with weekly and daily passes offered at $10 and $5 respectively. Annual memberships are $150 or $75 for six months if paid up front.
In addition to her work on the fitness center, Elizabeth owns Sugar Loaf Gardens and has participated as a vendor in Town Square’s summer farm market and even provided flowers for the White Hot Party. All this led to her joining the Town Square Board of Directors this year.
Since its inception, Town Square was made by its community, for its community. Elizabeth is the embodiment of Town Square’s motto, “Find your passion and make it happen.”
“I’ve been an educator and coach as my profession, so it's not in my wheelhouse to create gym layouts or get quotes and meet with vendors,” she said. “But it's been fun as a volunteer to have these new experiences, all for a passion of mine. I’m grateful I got to help make it happen.”