Editor's note: The architect's rendering of the Dexter Wellness Center was updated at 10:10 a.m.

After breaking ground in August, the Dexter Wellness Center opens on June 1.

The center is part of the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation, a tax-exempt, private foundation to promote community health in Western Washtenaw County. The Dexter center is the fourth of the foundation’s health facilities and joins the Wellness Centers of Chelsea, Stockbridge and Manchester.

Courtesy of the Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative

“One of our goals is to create a culture of wellness in our community to make it easier for people to make healthy choices,” said Amy Heydlauff, executive director of the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation.

The 46,000-square-foot facility at 2810 Baker Road includes 47 cardiovascular machines, 26 weight machines, full-amenity locker rooms, a dry sauna and a gymnasium. It also includes four 25-meter lap pools, a warm-water therapy pool and four studios for group exercise classes, including Zumba, yoga, cycling, Pilates and aerobics. The facility also will contain a child care room and Grab-N-Go Cafe.

Monthly and yearly memberships are available with varying fees offered for individuals, couples, families, youth and seniors. The one-time enrollment fee — about $300 — will be waived for those who register by June 8.

Angela Sargeant, the director of the center, said it is different than other gyms because it offers a medically integrated approach to wellness.

Upon registration, Sargeant said, every member fills out a detailed health questionnaire and fitness assessment — including flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, blood pressure and body composition. Members then receive a fitness program that takes into consideration each member’s personal restrictions and goals.

Sargeant said those with higher risk factors, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, are required to get approval from their primary-care physician before they can begin using the facility.

Heydlauff said health care providers can refer their patients to specific programs offered by the center for medical issues, including water aerobics for arthritis patients and mindful meditation for those dealing with stress. She said the center also will provide health lectures to the community to promote health education.

“Unlike many other gyms, this is not a place just for the fit, it’s actually a place for people with health and wellness concerns that are trying to move to a better state of health and wellness,” she said.

The facility is the result of years of planning and community partnership. While the center officially is run and leased by the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation, the building is owned by DWC Investment, a group of four businessmen who collaborated to invest in a new health facility for the Dexter area.

Steve Brouwer is part of DWC Investment and owner of the A.R. Brouwer construction company that built the Dexter Wellness Center building. He said the goal was to provide the community a place where people of all different ages and fitness levels could actively take charge of their health.

“It is a family focused center and it is there for the entire Dexter community,” he said. “Regardless of a person’s age or family situation, the goal is to try and help anybody and everybody to use the center and take advantage of all the facilities there to improve their health.”

Though Brouwer declined to disclose how much his company invested to help build the facility, Heydlauff said the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation made an initial investment of about $1.5 million, including purchasing equipment and additional pre-opening costs.

“We’re willing to make an upfront investment in the community so that we can have that impact on people’s long-term health,” she said. “We consider this to be a mission expenditure.”

When fully up-and-running, the center is expected to create about 100 jobs, though Sargeant said about 60 people have been hired so far, many of whom are part-time.

The Dexter Wellness Center will have a grand opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 8 to showcase the new facility, including tours, class demonstrations, chair massages, exercise tips, giveaways and general information about the facility. For more information visit www.dexterwellness.org.