Sagunto's Municipal Sports Centre to renovate its weight room after 30-plus years
Sagunto City Council has put out to tender a €145,215 full renovation of the weight room at the Municipal Sports Centre, replacing machines that have been in use since the early 1990s.
The gym at Sagunto's Municipal Sports Centre is set to change for the first time in more than thirty years. The city council has put out to tender a mixed contract covering supply, installation and maintenance worth €145,215, including VAT, to fully renovate the weight room.
Most of the equipment still in use today comes from the former Patronato Municipal de Deportes (the municipal sports board that preceded the current sports department) and was bought in the early 1990s, so three decades of continuous use have left the machines technically obsolete and visibly worn. That age is exactly why the council is now planning a full renovation rather than piecemeal repairs.
The awarded tender spells out no fewer than 45 different types of materials and equipment: everything from treadmills to benches in various formats, plus machines targeting specific muscle groups, barbells, weight plates and dumbbells. The winning company will have 50 days from signing the contract to complete the installation, and will also be responsible for preventive and corrective maintenance of the equipment throughout the warranty period.
With this investment, the council is pursuing a dual goal: modernising a heavily used space and making it safer for those who rely on it daily. It is no coincidence — the weight room is one of the municipality's busiest sports facilities, used by both federated athletes and residents who train independently, so the equipment swap should have a direct impact on the daily routine of a large number of regular users.
The project joins other municipal investments in public facilities this autumn, including the new multipurpose building under construction at plaza Sant Cristòfol, aimed at different kinds of activities but part of the same push to modernise spaces for residents. The council has not yet set a start date for the installation work, though the 50-day timeframe in the contract suggests the new machines could be ready before the end of the year if the award process is resolved in the coming weeks.
The renovation has particular significance for clubs such as Club Halterofilia Sagunto (the local weightlifting club), whose athletes have represented the city in top-level competitions in recent years; having modern, well-maintained equipment is essential for training strength disciplines that rely directly on gym machines and specific equipment.
The Municipal Sports Centre is not just an open-access space for residents: it also hosts training sessions and activities for several of the city's clubs, from football to basketball and handball, which rely heavily on well-maintained municipal facilities to prepare for federated competitions.
Gym machines that have been in use for more than thirty years show wear not just visually — their harnesses, cables or pulleys can also pose safety risks if not replaced as often as manufacturers recommend, a concern that grows more relevant as more users train without professional supervision.
The investment in the gym falls under a specific budget line for maintaining and improving municipal sports facilities, one the council has strengthened in recent years as the number of regular users of public facilities grows relative to the city's private gym offering.
For regular users, the renovation also means not having to turn to gyms elsewhere in the city or district while the equipment change is under way, since the council plans to keep the room operating with as few interruptions as possible during installation.
For clubs that regularly use the space to train their athletes, the renovation should also mean fewer stoppages due to old equipment breaking down — something that in recent years had at times forced last-minute changes to training session planning.
The council often highlights, at its annual Gala del Deporte (Sports Gala), the achievements of local athletes who trained, in many cases, at facilities such as the Municipal Sports Centre, reinforcing the argument that investing in quality equipment is not just about maintenance but also about backing grassroots sport and the talent the city can showcase in the future.
The public tender procedure follows the usual steps for municipal supply contracts in this case: publishing the specifications, companies submitting bids, technical and financial assessment of the proposals, and the final award — a process designed to ensure both transparency and the best value for money for the council's finances.
While the process is being finalised, the gym remains open with its current equipment, so users will not notice any change to their training routine until the installation date for the new machines is confirmed.
According to Sagunto City Council and El Periódico de Aquí.