Dear YMCA Member –

Since reopening our facilities, the YMCA of Greater Rochester has been working hard to create a safe, welcoming environment for our members. We chose to reopen in a phased approach to ensure a safe rollout of our new policies and procedures.

Despite our best efforts, the Carlson MetroCenter YMCA (which reopened on October 12) has welcomed significantly low numbers of members.

  • The Carlson MetroCenter is averaging only 109 visit per day, which is the lowest daily visitation of all our full-service YMCA facilities.
  • Nearly half of Carlson MetroCenter members use a facility other than Carlson when choosing a YMCA of Greater Rochester facility to work out at.
  • More than 40% of preCOVID members are not members today.
This, coupled with the fact COVID-19 restrictions are keeping more members away and downtown Rochester still lacks activity, makes it financially unsustainable to remain open at this time.

The YMCA of Greater Rochester has made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend membership operations at Carlson MetroCenter YMCA at the close of business today (Tuesday, November 24). The decision was not made lightly, but this is a necessity to help preserve our financial future.

The Carlson Child Care Center and Y School of ROC, both essential community-based programs, will continue to run at the facility.
Additionally, effective end of business today (Tuesday, November 24), per New York State Micro Cluster Strategy guidelines, the following YMCA of Greater Rochester locations will be temporarily closed as these areas have entered the “Orange Warning Zone”:

  • Maplewood Family YMCA
  • Southwest Family YMCA

We do not want to close; however, this is out of our hands. The New York State Governor has deemed gyms and fitness centers as high-risk, non-essential businesses and mandated they close. We know that we are more than just a gym, we are a community space where seniors can socialize safely, families can play and individuals can continue their health journey. This closure will lead to unknown consequences to how we are able to serve our members in the future. We hope to reopen soon, to welcome our members back again.
While operations are suspended at these branches, your membership will remain active and you are able to visit any open YMCA of Greater Rochester location. Your monthly dues will continue to be drafted on your regularly set draft day. If you want to suspend or cancel your membership, you must email your YMCA of Greater Rochester location:

We sincerely apologize for the short notice and for any inconvenience this may cause. Information is changing by the hour. When there is new information to share, we will be sure to alert you. Moving forward, please know that we will keep you informed via email, our website and our Facebook Page.

Thank you for your continued support as we navigate this ever-changing situation.


Sincerely,

Kevin Fitzpatrick
Chief Operating Officer