Dear Valued Member,

This is not an email we ever expected to send. We found out late yesterday (June 23) that we are not able to reopen on Friday (June 26) as we had anticipated and been planning for .

We are ready to serve you. This is not just about reopening a gym; it's about reopening your community space. We submitted our reopening plan to the Governor’s Team seven weeks ago. We have redesigned our facilities to allow for social distancing, creating spaces and protocols that exceed the health and safety best practice guidelines from the CDC and New York State Department of Health. In anticipation of reopening, we began recalling staff. 

We had multiple contingency plans developed for scenarios throughout this shutdown, but we did not have a contingency plan for an unknown, new set of phases that remain undefined.
 
We are hurting in many ways. Our overnight camps have been cancelled for the summer. We didn’t qualify for any subsidies under the CARES Act. Our membership revenue has dropped to almost one third of what it was. The decision to not allow us to reopen results in a more than quarter million dollar impact this week alone, with the economic impact climbing exponentially each week. To be frank, like so many in our community, we are exhausted both mentally and financially.

The most significant support we have received during our closure has come from our Sustaining Members. We cannot express to you just how truly important this support has been and how very grateful we are for you.
 
This is uncharted territory for everyone, including us. We do not know what to expect as Phase Four is rolled out, and we have received no indication from our state government as to when we can expect to reopen. Our last beacon of hope is for our members to stay with us as Sustaining Members if able. If you are unable, we understand. Please contact us and we can discuss other options.

We recently contacted many members about their membership status ahead of what was our anticipated reopening. We want to reiterate that no currently suspended memberships will be unsuspended until we can officially reopen.

Many of you have asked how you can help. The Governor’s decision to prohibit YMCAs from reopening at the beginning of Phase Four is completely unwarranted given the progress that New York State has achieved. If you feel compelled to contact the Governor or another official below please implore them to immediately release the guidelines for reopening gyms and to set a firm date to resume operations. 

  • Governor Cuomo: Email or Call 518-474-8390 
  • Melissa DeRosa: Email or Call 518-474-4246 
  • Howard Zucker: Email or Call 518-474-2011 
  • Rob Mujica: Email or Call 518-474-2300 

We know you want us to open. Believe us – we want to open, too. As soon as we can share more information with you, we will. Thank you for your continued support; we are eternally grateful.