The Greensburg YMCA will reopen to members June 14.
In late September, it closed most of its facilities because of covid-related restrictions and because fewer members returned after the facility reopened last summer.
“Our reopening will be a slow process until we’re able to hire necessary staff,” said Suzanne Printz, YMCA executive director.
Like so many other employers in the region and across the nation, the YMCA has experienced difficulties hiring people and is seeking workers for its front desk, maintenance, cleaning, aquatic and child care staff, Printz said. To attract workers, the YMCA has raised wages, she said.
Although the fitness facilities — weight room, aerobic exercise machines and gymnasium — were closed in the fall, Printz said the YMCA still offered essential services to more than 1,300 children and families. Child care facilities, as was the swimming pool, have been open the past several months.
The reopening comes after other fitness centers — both for-profit and nonprofit, like the Aerobic Center at Lynch Field in Greensburg — reopened months ago.
The Regional Family YMCA of Laurel Highlands reopened in early June 2020 after the March 2020 shutdown and has remained open, except for a period in December, said Steve Simon, executive director of the facility in East Huntingdon. It altered some operations to maintain social distancing, Simon said.
The YMCA has been forced to re-evaluate its business model because it was not covering expenses, Printz said. During the pandemic, the Greensburg YMCA lost $1.7 million in overall revenue, which includes membership fees.
Nonprofit YMCA facilities typically operate on a narrow revenue margin of 2% to 3%, and most YMCAs don’t have cash on hand “to withstand a significant emergency or natural disaster, let alone something catastrophic and long-lasting like the pandemic,” Printz said.
“While we’re excited to reopen, we cannot continue to operate at a loss, which means our members will see some changes,” Printz said.
It is offering different levels of membership, with each tier providing additional benefits and lower fees to join, Printz said. The Greensburg Y has joined YMCAs across the country in adding a new impact membership that will provide essential services such as child care, senior outreach and food distribution programming for a $25 contribution, Printz said.
“We see our reopening as a new chapter, a clean slate,” Printz said.
