Seven months after a fire ripped through the second floor of the Wilmington Family YMCA, forcing the building to close, members and staff reunited Sunday, Aug. 30 for the grand opening of a new facility down the road called the Express Y.
YMCA CEO Dick Jones said plans to rebuild the main location should be submitted to the board of directors by the end of September, but it could be two years before that facility reopens. The Express Y was built to serve members in the meantime.
“After the fire, we heard so much feedback from our members, about how they were sorry, how they missed the Y,” Jones said. “But what I really heard was how they missed the staff, how they missed the people.”
Hundreds of members gathered in front of the Express Y’s location in the Market Street Plaza Shopping Center Aug. 30, eagerly awaiting the chance to tour the new facility. After a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, the doors were thrown open and people of all ages poured inside.
Jones called the grand opening a homecoming, and it did resemble a reunion of sorts as the members seemed equally excited to see their favorite athletic trainer, front-desk greeter or Pilates classmates as they did the new exercise equipment.
YMCA staffers were stationed throughout the building, hugging members and greeting them by name as they walked past.
Since the fire, the YMCA community has been scattered across the city. The B’Nai Israel Congregation and DREAMS of Wilmington hosted exercise classes while several local gyms offered temporary memberships to displaced Y patrons.
“Everybody has been so generous,” Jones said, “but it’s not really your home.”
Members will likely find their favorite YMCA exercise class, instructor or workout machine at the Express Y, Jones said. There are even a few pieces of equipment that were not at the old location, like a Jacob’s Ladder climbing machine and a QUEENAX training wall.
“We’re only the sixth facility in the country to have [a QUEENAX wall],” Jones said. “It’s a functional training wall where you can do training by yourself or with a trainer.”
The seven-month period without a Y took a toll, Jones admitted; the YMCA has lost 30 percent of its membership since the Feb. 7 fire. He hopes to regain those members and new ones with the opening of the Express Y.
“We hope that picks back up,” he said. “A lot of people just signed up today.”
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