The new pool at the Eastside YMCA is set to open with a splash May 31, marking the most recent development for the newly renovated location.
The Eastside YMCA, located on Sandy Lane in Fort Worth, closed during the COVID-19 pandemic due to financial difficulties, said Mike Brown Jr., president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth. The pool is the latest chapter in its revival.
“That’s in the past, and now we think about the future, which is saving lives, building community, giving people access and giving them what they deserve, which is this renovated YMCA that has the same expectations of every other YMCA,” said Brown.
The pool will host swim lessons as well as the YMCA’s Safety Around Water program and activities such as water aerobics.
It will also operate like a community pool, so residents who are not members of the YMCA or guests can visit for a fee — $4 for seniors and current or former military members, $5 for children, $6 for adults — as they could at any other community pool. This was made possible in part by a $250,000 forgivable loan from the city to help pay for the construction.
“This is arguably a really nominal amount of money to make this possible,” Mayor Mattie Parker said at a May 22 ribbon-cutting and dedication event for the pool. “The partnership is truly priceless, and our residents really appreciate the opportunity.”
The newly renovated location, which opened Jan. 18, also features a technology center, meeting space, demonstration kitchen, food pantry, workout areas with exercise equipment, a room for group exercise classes and Y Playhouse, which offers two-hour child care for members.
The pool is only the first stage of the renovation, said AJ McCleod, executive director of community impact. The second phase will be building a gymnasium and the third is adding a full-time child care center open to the general public, with the timeline dependent on funding.
While people may simply think of basketball when they hear a gym is in the works, the space will play host to a variety of programming, Brown said.
“Basketball is something that we do, that’s one program, but when I have a 7,500-square-foot indoor gym, I now can run day camps for hundreds of kids,” said Brown. “I can have father-daughter dances on a Friday night. I can have teen nights with a concert and a band and open up the Y longer. I can have a health fair on a Saturday, a senior golden oldies dance on a Sunday.”
The YMCA has a financial assistance program for community members who need it, McCleod said. Those interested can fill out a form to receive help obtaining memberships or affording programs, camps and child care. Assistance is given on a sliding scale up to a 50% discount.
“It’s case by case, but they fill out that form, and we make sure that they get a membership, or they are part of our programs,” McCleod said. “And, of course, we have to be operational, but we figure it out, and that’s the best thing about our YMCAs is we’re not trying to turn anyone away, and we want to be inclusive of everybody.”
McKinnon Rice is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at [email protected]. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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