SMITHFIELD - If you're planning to get in shape after the new year, you might want to get that gym membership now. Come Jan. 1, rates at the Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center will rise, in some cases by about 15 percent.

The Town Council approved the rate hikes at its November meeting. The changes add $5 a month to the cost of an individual or family membership. For senior individuals and families, the rate will climb $2 a month.

The center, which opened earlier this year, offered the original rates as an incentive to draw its first members, said Tim Johnson, head of parks and recreation. "Part of our goal was, obviously, to be attractive to new folks and folks looking for some alternatives," he said. "That was kind of like our inaugural fee."

Current members and anyone who joins before year's end will keep paying the old prices.

"I don't ever see that changing, as long as their memberships stay current," Johnson said.

In the red

Expenses still outweigh revenue at the $11.2 million center, but town officials said the gap is closing. Fees and concession sales brought in about $300,000 in the first four months of the fiscal year, from July 1 to Nov. 30. Maintenance, supplies and staff costs totaled about $386,000 for the same period.

"That gap is slowly closing; I really believe that it will," Johnson said. The center should be breaking even in about a year, he said.

As of last week, 2,658 people were members of the center, which sports basketball courts, an indoor walking track, a weight room and a large pool.

But though membership numbers are higher than organizers say they expected, expenses have overrun the budget too.

In just five months, utility costs reached 128 percent of the bugeted total for the entire fiscal year. The town had expected to pay $85,000 for utilities in the fiscal year that began July 1. But through Nov. 30, the town had spent $110,000.

The overrun is mostly because of inaccurate cost estimates, said Justin Merritt, finance director for Smithfield.

The project's planners failed to account for the 24-hour-a-day dehumidifier that the building needs, Merritt said. Right now, engineers with the Triangle J Council of Governments and N.C. State University are working for free to find ways to save energy costs at the center.

A generator to reduce grid usage during peak hours could drive down power costs, Merritt said.

Johnson thinks a surge of New Year's resolutions in January could also bolster the bottom line -- but if members sign up before then, they won't have to pay an enrollment fee.

Several center members said the membership fees are on point.

"You might get a little cheaper, but you won't get this quality," said Michael Smith of Four Oaks, a member since September. He said that even the increased fee would be a good deal because the building is well-maintained.

Earl Hammond, a pastor from Smithfield, said the SRAC offers more amenities at a price similar to many nearby gyms.

Alfonso Robinson, who moved to Smithfield in July, said a similar gym in Baltimore would have cost him $80 per month, plus exorbitant enrollment fees. "The price doesn't get better than this," he said.