A snide comment about his weight during his 15-year high school reunion was enough to motivate Geneva resident Gary Jamison to get in shape.

“That was on a Saturday night, and Monday I joined the (Geneva Park District Sunset Fitness Center),” he said.

Now, nearly 30 years later, Jamison has a routine down pat — one that includes starting his workouts around 7:15 p.m.

But beginning Tuesday, kbeese 8/25/08 Sept. 2, weekend hours at the fitness center will change. Instead of closing at 8:30 p.m., it will close at 7 p.m.

Park District officials say the lack of people at the facility between 7 and 8:30 p.m. weekends prompted the change.

“On average, we get between three and six people for the last hour and a half,” said Sheavoun Lambillotte, the Park District’s superintendent of recreation. “We felt the recommendation was a fiscally responsible one for us to make.”

Geneva Park District Director Steve Persinger agreed.

“I don’t want to walk in on a Saturday night and see two people working out if we can save some money,” he said.

However, Jamison said he and a group of other regulars work out around 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday evenings at the facility.

He attended last week’s Park District meeting to urge officials to reconsider.

“Once you get on a regimen, you like to have the same time available,” he said. “Even (closing at) 8 o’clock would be OK. I can adjust to a degree. I’m not totally inflexible.”

Park officials offered to take the matter into consideration.