West Chester/Brandywine I-don't-know-Y
About 3-4 years ago I toured the West Chester branch of the Brandywine Valley YMCA. It was old, cramped, didn't seem overly user-friendly and the kids area left quite a bit to be desired. My "tour guide", recognizing my concerns, enthusiastically showed off the plans to build a new YMCA a bit out of town. The original building in West Chester was scheduled to close in 6-9 months and the club would move to the luxurious Goshen building.
I toured ACAC and joined there instead.
When the "new Y" finally opened last fall, ACAC saw a small exodus. Several of my friends switched over to the "new Y'. Many dwindled back to ACAC. Most complained it was overcrowded, the pool area wasn't friendly to non-swimmers, and the kids area was still overcrowded. For most, it looked great on paper.
But the biggest complaint was that they didn't shut down the "old Y." Instead, it was being used as a child-care center. And then classes began to be taught there. Classes like Karate. For kids. Members whispered about wasting their money. They joined the Y to have childcare for their kids, while they work out and other children attend classes. Instead they were being forced to the old building in town, with no childcare room. And little place to work out or attend classes.
A recent Daily Local reported that the "old Y", in town, has not been and will not be shut down. It has been renamed as the YMCA Youth Program Center. This center has a gymnastics room, an indoor turf for large group sports (like football, lacrosse and aerobics) and for adults there's a track, exercise room and gym.
But the Y-planners are missing something big. This isn't what the people of the West Chester area want. They want the convenience of one gym to attend as a whole family. Not a variety of locations, one with childcare and classes for adults, another with youth programs and a track. They want parking (the neighboring garage was demolished last month). They want community.
Isn't that what the YMCA was created for? YMCA.net tells us "across the nation, YMCAs are committed to helping ... Families build stronger bonds, spend time together and become more engaged with their communities." But the West Chester YMCA and its Youth Program Center are stretching its families across the community, not within.
Last year, when my ACAC membership was up for renewal, I considered switching to the YMCA. I loved the community of ACAC, but the lower cost would be ideal in the bank. I stayed at ACAC for the lifestyle it had become. Soon, as my membership again comes up for renewal at ACAC, I ponder whether it is time to consider the bank account more, especially with ACAC charging per person and the YMCA charging per family. Could it really be so undesirable? Then I read about the Youth Program Center and considered my young family, helping me to realize that a program area apart from the gym and child-care will only add more stress to my life. Which doesn't exactly coincide with YMCA's Commitment to America.
This is an original Philly Moms Blog post. Julie will finally be back to a regular work out schedule soon. And she'll still be blogging at Just Precious.
