SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- The regional director of Army garrisons in Europe directed garrison commanders to cease towel service at all fitness centers, including the ones here, beginning April 15.
Kathleen Marin, region director for Installation Management Command-Europe, made the announcement in a March 12 memorandum to Army garrison commanders.
"I have determined it is a cost that we can no longer afford," Marin said, after having conducted a review with both the region director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and garrison staff.
Customers using the gyms will now need to bring their own towels, though sanitation towels and cleaning supplies will still be provided, Marin said.
The Schweinfurt Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation directorate heads the gyms in Schweinfurt. Both Kessler Fitness Center at Kessler Field -- slotted to close by the summer of 2014 -- and Finney Fitness Center on Conn Barracks have provided towels at no cost. But come April 15, that service will cease.
"This new policy has nothing to do with our closure in 2014," said Dave Coldwell, Schweinfurt's FMWR sports coordinator. "Nor will it have any effect on the quality service that we provide you at our fitness centers. You'll just need to bring your own towels now."
The Schweinfurt fitness centers to this point represent only a handful of Army gyms worldwide that provide towels.
"We're going to keep the old towels so that people can still clean the machines down," Coldwell said.
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