For the first time in its 163-year history, downtown YMCA plans to open an extra day
The downtown Columbus YMCA has been refreshing bodies and minds for 163 years at various addresses, but not once has it opened its doors for workouts on a Sunday. That soon will change.
The John P. Thayer YMCA, which is approaching its 10th anniversary this summer, has decided that what is known as the Lord’s day also has room for some cardio-fitness classes, weightlifting and a brisk swim in an indoor pool.
Scott Balkcum, executive branch director of the downtown “Y” at 24 14th St., said Wednesday the 52,000-square-foot facility has tentatively scheduled to open from 1 to 5 p.m. each Sunday starting April 28. That’s one week after Easter Sunday.
“With the increased activity downtown, increased members downtown, and increased offerings at this location, this is to give our members seven days, to give our part-time staff the opportunity to work a little bit more if they want, and it’s something that we’re proud to offer,” he said. “I’m happy to say our doors will be open for a seventh day.”
Balkcom pointed to the D.A. Turner YMCA at 4384 Warm Springs Road in Columbus, which has been opening on Sundays for many years. That location, open from 1 to 5 p.m. as well, offers Bible studies and church services on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he said.
“We currently don’t have a church service lined up for the YMCA at the downtown location,” he said. “We may visit that should the right congregation want to come in and preach here, or we may look at revamping some Bible studies and hosting them here as well.”
The John P. Thayer YMCA, which is part of the Christian-based nonprofit organization, YMCA of the USA, serves about 600 members a day. Current downtown hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Balkcum estimates the YMCA, a dated acronym for Young Men’s Christian Association, can draw perhaps 400 or so members on the Sundays that it opens, which would be filling a demand. The upcoming change has been received well, he said, particularly among those who don’t work on Sunday and want to squeeze in some exercise on a day off.
“With our location downtown, they want to capitalize on it and get their workout in and then go and see who’s playing (music) or go for a lunch or brunch,” he said. “Whatever they do downtown, they also want to get that workout in because they may be too tired Monday after work or Tuesday after work.”
The downtown YMCA employs about 30 people part-time, he said, covering the front desk, the child-care area, maintenance and lifeguards, he said. There also are about 60 group fitness instructors. The organization also runs smaller satellite YMCA facilities inside the nearby TSYS corporate headquarters and on the Aflac campus.
Balkcom said he’s adding two additional staffers heading into the future Sunday opening, which requires much more planning than most people might expect. The goal is to make it a smooth and positive move for all concerned, he said.
“We don’t want to open up on Sundays and have unclean facilities,” he said. “We don’t want to say we offer a laundry service for our members and it’s not ready for them. We don’t want to say that we have a well-kept weight room, but we don’t have the staff to put the weights back when people use them. So it’s a lot more than just opening the doors for an extra day. We’re going to try to do it the right way and be calculated about it.”
Aside from the downtown YMCA and the location on Warm Springs Road, the organization also operates the A.J. McClung center at 1175 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 5:48 PM.