EDITORIAL - There are many in this community excited that Planet Fitness is coming to town but none more than the officials at the city of Madera. The fitness chains expansion into the over fifty year old Bethard Square Shopping Center marks the first of what the city is hoping is a complete remodel of this once dilapidated center with mass vacancies and asbestos filled, leaking, moldy ceilings.
The former owner of the center let the property go over the years, but the property was sold last summer following an online auction. The Madera Unified School District Board of Trustees held two closed session meetings to discuss purchasing the property for new district offices but after an inspection tour it was clear to the district that there was just too much damage from neglect to the building to make any remodel feasible let alone economically sound.