The Waco Family YMCA was struggling like a non-swimmer tossed into the deep end of the pool. Its finances needed CPR, and the COVID-19 pandemic “was not kind to this branch,” an executive said during a tour this week.
But an $8 million renovation following an ownership change has revived what is now called the Greater Waco YMCA at Sanger Avenue and Harvey Drive. A ribbon-cutting ceremony recognizing donors unfolded Thursday on the premises. The facility on Harvey Drive has represented the only Y in the area since the 2021 sale of the Doris Miller YMCA to the city of Waco for a community center, so far sans pools.
“We’re in the final phases, going through punch-list items,” Executive Director Michelle Cornelissens said during a walk-through of the brighter, more open Greater Waco Y space created by Barsh Construction per Y specifications.
Employee parking has given way to an outdoor soccer and kickball field covered with artificial turf so green it nearly hurts the eyes. Pitch darkness surrounds people entering the Cardio Theater, a private getaway for customers preferring to sweat in solitude or viewing themselves as “yet to be fit,” Cornelissens said.
People are also reading…
“It’s a place for building up confidence,” she said, pointing to a long list of movie titles rated PG-13 or milder that attendees may watch while riding stationary bikes. Yes, “The Hulk” is available for screening.
Then there is ExtracoLand, sponsored by Extraco Banks, a child-size wonderland where toddlers may entertain themselves while their accompanying grown-ups watch or indulge in their own workouts elsewhere. Sponsored playhouse attractions in the kids area include Sponenberg Grocery, George’s Restaurant, Extraco Bank and a Baylor University-colored library and school house. The USS Doris Miller, namesake of Waco’s celebrated World War II hero, is docked at a lake. Elsewhere is a church, airport, fire house and police department.
The $8 million upgrade did not expand the Waco Y, rather it reconfigured existing space, said David Stryjewski, vice president of operations for YMCA of Central Texas.
Gifts from Providence Health and former Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy transformed the lobby into more welcoming space, according to a fact sheet provided by the Greater Waco YMCA.
The Deaton family sponsored an updated ChildWatch area, with triple the previous capacity. It offers safe rooms for infants, toddlers and preteens. Elizabeth and Stuart Smith sponsored the new Cycle Studio.
Other enhancements include a Fitness Floor. Newly renovated studio spaces offer more room for cardio classes, where participants take part in calorie-burning workouts to strengthen muscles, heart and lungs. Senior classes aim to prevent injury and dementia, and accommodate “Sit and Fit” strength training sessions.
New and improved digs made possible a new gymnastics program, with 79 youngsters enrolled in the first class, the Greater Waco YMCA reports.
Stryjewski said the Y spent $480,000 on furniture, fixtures and equipment, their availability promised a year before construction began. Work launched in May 2023, with Y officials hoping for completion by year’s end. That timetable did not materialize because building supply deliveries were delayed, he said.
“Members have been gracious the whole process,” Stryjewski said.
In fact, membership has grown as word spread of enhancements.
“We’re up 800 units, pre-COVID until now,” Stryjewski said, explaining that a unit represents a membership, which can range from one person to several, depending on the monthly plan members choose. Rates on the low end start at $17 per month for youngsters ages 12 to 17, topping out at $77 a month, plus a $100 join fee, for a family of two adults and children under age 25.
Cornelissens estimated the Greater Waco YMCA has about 3,200 membership units.
The Waco Y offers scholarships to members needing financial assistance.
Tiffany Beal, a lifelong Waco resident, said visiting the Y became a family tradition in her home two decades ago. She lost interest but “decided to come back” upon hearing news about the remodel, she said.
“I love it … the rooms for classes, the new child care facilities, the therapy pool, which is where I’m heading now,” she said during a Wednesday visit.
The warm-water therapy pool is getting a “refresh” that includes new decking, a new roof and fresh plaster. Work is not entirely done, so members preferring exercise in warm water are having to cool their heels in another pool with cool water for now, Cornelissens said. She said the cool water is nice, but not the same for members with arthritic joints who want to relax and rejuvenate.
“A 90-year-old water aerobics instructor … that’s the biggest thing he’s asking about,” Cornelissens said of current conditions.
“We’re thrilled to offer these new and eagerly anticipated facilities to our members and the broader community,” YMCA of Central Texas President and CEO Jeff Andresen said in a press release. “The public’s clear demand and strong support have been essential to bringing these projects to fruition.”
Andresen said funding was a joint effort, with $6 million from the YMCA of Central Texas and more than $2 million from donors to date.
The city’s 2021 purchase of the Doris Miller YMCA site cleared the way for the remaining local YMCA off Harvey Drive, which also was struggling financially, to stay afloat by being absorbed into the YMCA of Greater Williamson County. After the merger, the Greater Williamson County organization, which oversees Y locations in several counties, took on the YMCA of Central Texas name.
The Cooper Foundation donated funds to refurbish the Greater Waco Y’s therapy pool, and made possible the Y’s participation in the Safety Around Water Program, which benefitted 250 La Vega Independent School District students.
“In a state where drowning-related incidents pose a grave threat — and in a town with both a lake and a river — this collaboration has been a lifeline, especially to those lacking access to swim lessons,” Cooper Foundation Executive Director Felicia Goodman said in a press release.
YMCA of Central Texas, of which the Waco Y is now a part, has other locations in Burnet, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Hutto and Round Rock.