Stay in the know about upcoming events, passholder specials, and the latest news for the month of January
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The Center at Norpoint looks forward to helping you reach your fitness goals this year. Whether you hope to increase your gym visits, hit a new personal weight lifting record or sign up to run a Metro Parks race, we're cheering you on every step of the way!
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Tell us how we can better serve you!
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Metro Parks Tacoma facilities are here for you to make memories. Please take a few minutes to take our survey and tell us how we can improve our community experiences and special events for you.
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Notice: Annual Pool Closure Jan. 21-31
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Norpoint pool will be closed for annual maintenance from Jan. 21 through Jan. 31. If you've been looking to try a new fitness class, now is the perfect time!
Thank you for your patience - we appreciate your understanding.
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Center Spotlight: Mary Parmer
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Meet Mary Parmer, custodian at the Center at Norpoint.
This year, Mary is going on 31 years with Metro Parks Tacoma. She has been with the Center since June, but previously worked at STAR Center since its opening, and also worked custodial duties at South Park, Headquarters, along with grounds work at Wapato Park.
“You’re never done,” she said of the job, with a laugh and a smile. “Once you do something, it’s almost immediately undone because someone is right behind you.”
For Mary, the people she meets at each facility and her coworkers are the best part of the job. And seeing the results of her hard work.
People notice when the building is clean, she said, and they definitely notice when it isn’t.
Mary met her husband, Patrick, at South Park Community Center in the 90s. Patrick, who worked 32 years in law enforcement, was teaching a class about regulating the regulators for the Washington State Gambling Commission, the two met and got to talking that day, and the rest is history.
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Mary and Patrick got married on 9/9/99, specifically for that date.
Mary enjoys spending time with her kids and six grandkids, people watching with her husband at Point Ruston. The biggest thing Mary can urge is “if you want to be able to keep moving, then keep moving - use it or lose it.”
Mary said she is in awe of the way Metro Parks has transformed as an organization and the impact on the local community over her three decades with the agency.
“Since the time I’ve started, things have improved three hundred percent,” she said. “Things are so much better, like Point Defiance, the things they’ve done are just miraculous.”
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Thank you for keeping our facility sparkling clean, Mary!
We appreciate your work and your dedication to Metro Parks Tacoma.
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Members of the Month:
Michael and Diane McSweeny
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Michael and Diane McSweeney were original charter members of the Center - back when the facility’s name spelled “Centre” - and have a brick inscribed with their names in the East hallway to prove it.
The couple said they have believed in the concept of the Center from the very beginning.
While neither Michael or Diane are “gym rats,” they agree the Center’s safe and diverse atmosphere makes them both feel willing to take any class that looks interesting, use the gym, or participate in programs.
The Sweeney’s said they try to stay faithful to participating in the SAIL classes, ideally 5 days a week, enjoying both Carolyn’s and Jenny’s classes throughout the week.
“For our family, our Center membership is now in its third generation,” Michael said. Their grandson, Rudy, loves Summer Day Camps, swim lessons, and Porpoise Club swimming. “We are happy that our grandson is looking forward to joining the swim team in the very same pool where his dad (Patrick McSweeney) and his aunt (Lily McSweeney) learned to swim.”
Michael held a position on the Community Advisory Board for the first several years of the Center’s existence.
“We feel nostalgic when we remember to look down and find our original brick down in the East hallway,” they said.
Both Michael and Diane were volunteers at the very first Santa Breakfast way back in the 1990s.
“And who knew we’d graduate up to being Santa and Mrs. Claus at this year’s Santa Breakfast?”
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Another extremely memorable moment for the couple came early one cold winter Saturday morning a few years ago. Michael and daughter Lily, who is a registered nurse, were using the equipment in the weight room when an elderly woman collapsed. Lily saved that member’s life by immediately doing CPR.
When the paramedics arrived, Michael recalls the first responder saying: “You didn’t need us! That nurse did all the work!”
Originally from California, the McSweeney’s moved to Tacoma in 1980 after they had been teachers at the Aramco School in Saudi Arabia. Both continued public school careers (Diane as a teacher then librarian and Michael as a teacher then principal) in Washington and retired in 2017.
In retirement, the McSweeney’s are active members of the Washington Education Association, working on various causes as advocates for public school children and teachers and volunteering at Browns Point Elementary School.
The McSweeney’s have a love for exploring the world, a lifetime of adventure which started when they married standing on a ledge at the Grand Canyon in 1978.
“We have traveled to most parts of North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe and still continue to travel,” they said, including their annual one-week New York City trip to binge watch four or five broadway plays.
The two are avid neighborhood walkers and enjoy attending plays, concerts, and cultural events in both Tacoma and Seattle.
Diane is one of Kobetich Library’s designated “Extreme Readers” and Michael loves the good conversation, friendly atmosphere and delicious craft beers of the local North 47 Brewing Company.
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If you see the McSweeney's around the Center, be sure to congratulate them as Norpoint's first Members of the Month in 2020!
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Plan your weekly workouts with
this month's fitness schedule:
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Winter/Spring 2020 GO Guide is now available!
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Thanks for coming to Santa Breakfast!
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We ho-ho-hope you enjoyed Breakfast with Santa in December!
See you next year!
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Thank you for your continued loyalty as members and customers of
The Center at Norpoint
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Center closure on Feb. 7, 2020
Please note the Community Center will be closed the morning of February 7, 2020 to allow our staff to attend training. We trust that this slight interruption to our regular hours will allow us to better serve you! The Center will reopen at 11:30 am. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Center.
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Weather Alert: Closures and Cancelations
With the weather forecast showing a potential for snow we'd like to let you know that building closure information, if there is any, will be posted on our website. Just look for the yellow alert bar at the top of the page and click on it for district-wide information.
If you have questions about a specific facility feel free to give them a call before heading out. Thank you and stay safe!
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Norpoint Fitness & Wellness Conference 2020
Mark your calendars now! Norpoint's annual Fitness & Wellness Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Keep an eye out for more details soon!
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