BLACKSBURG -- With 24 new fitness machines, a digital scale, four new televisions with a sound system, as well as other amenities, the new Blacksburg Fitness Center is a dream come true for resident Paul Smeal.

For several years, Smeal -- a longtime member of the Blacksburg Recreation Advisory Board and current president-elect of the local AARP chapter -- has publicly advocated tax increases to pay for new fitness and recreation facilities in Blacksburg to rival those of neighboring localities such as Christiansburg and Radford.

The new 1,500-square-foot Blacksburg center is inside the town's Community Center on Patrick Henry Drive. It replaces the old 496-square-foot senior fitness room.

The new center cost $150,000 and came out of the town's capital improvement budget, Parks and Recreation Director Dean Crane said.

It will be a boon to seniors who want to stay healthy and active into later life, community center director Jack Leahy said.

While most seniors know cardiovascular exercise such as walking boosts heart health, Leahy said they may not know that without weight training or other resistance exercises, after age 40 the human body loses 2 percent of its muscle mass every year.

Using the weight machines, dumbbells and medicine balls at the fitness center can counteract that, he said.

Unlike fitness facilities on the Virginia Tech campus, Smeal said the new Blacksburg fitness center has ample parking right outside the front door -- another boon for seniors.

"Seniors may be intimidated the first time they see it," Smeal said of the new fitness room. "I'm a little intimidated right now."

But with some help from the community center staff, using the equipment "will eventually be old hat," Smeal said.

While seniors will certainly benefit from the new center, it's open to anyone older than 18, Leahy said.

Along with the new equipment, the fitness center will employ a new payment system. Rather than the daily use fee of the past, the center will sell passes. A five-visit pass will cost $10. Thirty-visit passes are available for $35. The passes are good for an entire year, Leahy said.

The new center officially opened Tuesday. Hours will be 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.