Fremont and Hayward to get 24 Hour Fitness

San Ramon-based 24 Hour Fitness is launching new stores in Fremont and Hayward as part of a $25 million expansion that will create hundreds of new jobs in the Bay Area this year, the personal health company said Thursday.

24 Hour Fitness will open a Super-Sport club in Fremont on Saturday, and is constructing a Super-Sport outlet in Hayward at a former Circuit City store. The deals for the sites were arranged through Terranomics Retail Services, a realty firm.

"These are exciting times for us," said Jim McPhail, chief development officer at 24 Hour Fitness. "We continue to build new clubs, relocate clubs and remodel clubs in the Bay Area." Each outlet employs about 100 to 150 people.

The fitness company opened two Super-Sport clubs in recent months, including a January opening in Walnut Creek and a December opening in Livermore.

24 Hour Fitness also plans to remodel existing outlets at unspecified locations in the South Bay and the Peninsula this year, part of an overall investment during 2013 ranging from $20 million to $30 million.

Chevron has successful Gulf of Mexico well test

San Ramon-based Chevron said it has completed a successful production test on the St. Malo PS003 well in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil flow exceeded 13,000 barrels a day and was safely contained by the test

The test, in Walker Ridge block 678 of the St. Malo field, targeted Lower Tertiary sands more than 20,000 feet under the ocean floor.

Chevron is developing the St. Malo field jointly with its development of a nearby energy field known as Jack.

Total project costs for the initial phase of the development are estimated at $7.5 billion.

-- Staff

Burlingame firm wins Sandy cleanup pact

Federal officials say they've found another contractor to clear tons of Superstorm Sandy debris from New York's Fire Island.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it has awarded a $10.1 million contract to Environmental Chemical of Burlingame.

Officials face a deadline to have the estimated 9,650 tons of debris cleared by the end of March.

The Army Corps has struggled to find a contractor to handle the job. ECC is the fifth company named in recent weeks. Deals with previous companies were challenged.

-- Associated Press