‘New’ YMCA to reopen Saturday in Pottstown
POTTSTOWN >> Saved from closure by the May purchase by a private developer, the newly re-configured YMCA in Pottstown will hold a “grand reopening” Saturday.
The open house will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the facility on North Adams Street.
During the event, the YMCA will offer tours of the facility, as well as 30-minute demonstrations from its list of group exercise classes.
Prizes, refreshments, and other giveaways will be provided. Attendees are welcome to use the facility, including the Wellness Center, throughout the day.
Non-members who attend the celebration and join on Dec. 1, may take advantage of special event pricing, allowing them to waive the standard joining fee ($150 value). They will also receive a YMCA insulated cooler bag. The first 100 people to join on that day will also receive a YMCA T-shirt.
The open house comes just about a year after the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA stunned the community by announcing the closure of the building, which was to take place in June.
Opposition built to the closure and local leaders, including the Pottstown School Board, Pottstown Borough Council, the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Commission and the NAACP in particular, opposed the closing and pressured Freedom Valley to reverse its decision. Even the 18-member task force the put together by Freedom Valley to come up with options for providing services outside the building revolted and recommended keeping the building open.
The campaign bore fruit from an unexpected direction when the building was purchased by the Gulati family, which also purchased and revitalized Stokesay Castle in Berks county and the Sunnybrook Ballroom in Lower Pottsgrove.
CEO Charles Gulati purchased the building with an eye toward turning it into a health and athletics training center, sharing space with YMCA programs.
Significant renovations to the facility are now complete, including brand new strength and cardio rooms, an enhanced child watch room, and two new workout studios complete with new sound systems. Additionally, the pool has been upgraded with a new filtration and pump system. The indoor track also remains open for use.