Laurels & lances: Plans, a loss and green beast

Laurel: To open doors. The Greensburg YMCA will not be closing. At least not for the next year.

That promise was made Tuesday when YMCA leaders announced an 18-month plan to keep the organization alive.

“We’re not looking anytime soon to lose this Y. The goal is not to close the Y,” said Suzanne Printz, who took over as chief executive officer in December.

The YMCA is down to just 25% of the membership it had before the state’s coronavirus pandemic response shuttered places like gyms and pools in March 2020. While some other businesses reopened in January when restrictions relaxed, the YMCA did not reopen until June, when those restrictions — like masking requirements — were lifted.

The goal now is to double membership by the end of 2021 and to get up to 75% of pre-pandemic numbers by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2022. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it to keep an important institution functioning in the community.

Lance: To the loss of a hero. Pittsburgh Firefighter Lee Weber died on Saturday. We give this a lance because the death was unexpected and swift and leaves both his family at home and his family in uniform reeling from the blow.

But at the same time, Weber deserves a laurel. He died the way he lived, saving a life. This time, it was his own son who he was trying to get to safety while swimming in Lake Erie.

“He worked hard to support his family and wanted his wife and children to have the best of everything,” family member Krystle Collavo Granite wrote. “Amber and the boys were the loves of his life.”

Laurel: To safety with a side of humor. If you see a fuzzy green creature on a motorcycle, take notice. It just might be Jeff Barnes.

The Verona man drives a Kawasaki motorcycle around the Alle-Kiski Valley. That’s not too surprising. Lots of people drive motorcycles.

But Barnes wears the fuzzy green helmet to do more than protect his head. He wants to attract attention, too.

“It makes me feel safer for drivers to see me, and I like to see them do a double-take, even if someone shakes their head and says, ‘That idiot,’ ” Barnes said.

That is because he survived a brutal bike crash five years ago, which he believes was the result of a distracted driver of a car. To be on the safe side, Barnes likes to make sure that people take a good look at him now.

Let’s hope that in keeping an eye out for what community pages are calling the Green Fuzzy Furry, drivers end up paying attention to every motorcycle rider, cyclist and others who share the roadways with cars and trucks.