Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘Blended Wellness Center’
Pottstown YMCA reopens with a new look but with the same mission
The newly renovated Pottstown YMCA was revealed to the community this past weekend with a grand reopening and open house celebration.
Members and non-members toured the facility with staff and learned about the recent updates made to the facility as well as what more will come.
The official reveal comes about a year after it was announced the wellness facility would be closing this past June. About a month before the closing date, the community became aware that the Y would remain open due to entrepreneur Charles Gulati purchasing the building from the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA.
The Pottstown branch was able to continue to serve the local community with some changes. The Y now shares the building with other tenants including currently a karate studio and student athlete training program.
“That’s the new owner’s vision, that this is a blended wellness center,” said Pottstown YMCA Senior Program Director Logan Finerfrock.
Finerfrock spent Saturday showing people the YMCA spaces and explaining recent changes the area had undergone. The YMCA portions of the building are now on the first floor with the exception of the track and basketball gym which are upstairs and still available to members.
“We took the wellness center that was upstairs and brought it downstairs. Almost all of the equipment is exactly the same,” Finerfrock said.
The wellness center was spilt into two when it moved to the lower level.
When people enter the building through the main front entrance, all the cardio equipment is on one side and directly across that space is a room with all the strength training equipment. The cardio room has a line of treadmills and stationary bikes.
Finerfrock said new machinery is coming to the area in 2019.
She said the strength room has “selectorized” equipment.
“Selectorize equipment is weight training equipment but it allows you to select your weight really easily … and it keeps you in the proper form so it’s there for you to stay safe as well,” Finerfrock said.
She went on to explain that there were free weights and plated machines in the back of the strength training room as well as an area that gets lots of natural sunlight often used for stretching.
Right in front of the strength room is the lobby area which Finerfrock said is a place where members enjoy drinking coffee and socializing with others. She said renovations are in store for the lobby including brand-new furniture so there’s a “coffeehouse feel.”
“The new owner is all about comfort and just getting people gathering,” Finerfrock said.
No visible changes have been made to the indoor pool on the first floor but Finerfrock said the space was closed to install a new filtration and pump system. Future renovations in the pool area include tile work.
The pool is a popular destination for members and is used for many activities such as swim lessons and aqua exercise classes.
“Swim lessons are for all ages … We have them for adults all the way down to babies,” Finerfrock said.
She said aqua Zumba and weight-based aqua classes are very popular exercises done in the pool because participants get low-impact cardio.
Former childcare rooms were transformed into two group exercise studios. In each area, walls were taken down to open the space and special flooring limits the impact on the body when moving. The rooms also have a new sound system.
Those that visited the YMCA during the reopening had the opportunity to participate in fitness class demonstrations.
Jessica Warrick, 37, of Pottstown joined a family Zumba dance fitness class with her eight-year-old daughter Ayania Warrick. The mother-daughter duo had a lot of the fun in the class and even got a visit from the YMCA mascot Y-Doh during the 30-minute demonstration.
Ayania said the YMCA looks “cooler” and she liked exercising with her mom in the family fitness class. Warrick said she likes the recent changes to the Y and is happy that everything is now on one level. She said the renovated group exercise room looks better than it did before.
Finerfrock said the YMCA still has the same equipment and offers the same services but now the look is just a little different.
“The beautiful thing about this change is that we’re still here. We’re still in the community,” she said.
There were several local community groups that joined together to save the Pottstown YMCA after there was news of its closing. The NAACP Pottstown Chapter was one of those groups that urged the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA to keep the Pottstown branch open.
Pottstown NAACP President Johnny Corson said the local chapter encourages the community to support the YMCA by utilizing the facility. He said many groups fought hard to keep the Y in the area and he hopes YMCA services offered continue to expand.
“The mission statement of the Y has always been to help the underprivileged. To help those less fortunate and give them the opportunity to have services that they could not afford to have,” Corson said.
Corson said the YMCA is a place where people of all types of backgrounds are able to come together. He added that the wellness facility is also important for Pottstown youth.
“We have no community swimming pool, so this is really the only swimming pool available. They give swimming lessons that can save our young people’s lives,” Corson said.
Pottstown YMCA Executive Director Scott Cusworth said the Y appreciates the support of the Pottstown NAACP. He said the local chapter has a similar mission to the YMCA.
“Our role is to serve people and make sure resources are available for the Pottstown Community,” Cusworth said.
The Pottstown YMCA is located at 724 N. Adams St.
For more information about the Pottstown YMCA, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ PottstownY or call 610-323-7300.