Thursday, September 11, 2008
YMCA renovation is a good fit
Photos by Marcus Yam | The Roanoke Times
Megan Ward, an employee of the newly renovated Gainsboro Family YMCA in Roanoke, works out with an aerobics class Tuesday.
James Lynch (center) is supervised by Marty Bishop as he exercises at the Gainsboro Family YMCA on Tuesday. Lynch was a small child when he first set foot in the building.
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Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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Cal Johnson kept his promise.
Five years ago this month, the executive director of the Roanoke Valley YMCA denied rumors that the Y's Family Center branch on Orange Avenue might close.
"Johnson emphasized that the YMCA remains firmly committed to the Family Center and its role in the Y system," I wrote in a column Sept. 22, 2003.
On Friday and Saturday, the YMCA will celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated, state-of-the-art branch that has been renamed the Gainsboro Family YMCA.
Johnson kept his promise -- not to me, but to the community of branch users such as James Lynch and Beryl Word.
"It's a prayer," Lynch said Tuesday evening in the gym that quietly reopened in August. He took a break from weight lifting as he recalled his first memories of the building.
Lynch was a small child when he first set foot in it.
Today, he's 54.
Nor was Johnson's promise lost on Word, 60, who stood a few feet from Lynch and wiped sweat as she recalled the first time she walked into the refurbished building.
"I thanked God for giving us a nice Y here," she said. For seven years, Word had been faithful to her workouts in the dingy conditions of the outdated branch.
The $500,000 renovation truly is a big deal. It's a blessing to members who patiently have waited their turn for better accommodations. For years, they changed in cramped restrooms, pumped iron on an old universal weight machine monstrosity or had to go home to shower.
That's why YMCA officials have planned a two-day celebration to mark the reopening of the building at the corner of Orange Avenue and Gainsboro Road.
"Our commitment to the Family Center and that location and the programs there never wavered," Johnson said this week. "In all organizations, you take on different projects at different times," he said alluding to the construction of new facilities in Salem and downtown Roanoke in recent years.
"We always knew that the Family Center was going to be next," Johnson said.
Photos by Marcus Yam | The Roanoke Times
Megan Ward, an employee of the newly renovated Gainsboro Family YMCA in Roanoke, works out with an aerobics class Tuesday.
James Lynch (center) is supervised by Marty Bishop as he exercises at the Gainsboro Family YMCA on Tuesday. Lynch was a small child when he first set foot in the building.
Renaming the branch to Gainsboro Family YMCA was a unanimous decision among board members and Y leadership, Johnson said.
"It speaks to the Y being a more integral part of the community around it. And the other thing, it gives it some sense of geography. People know where Gainsboro is," he added.
Friday's function is a tribute to past and present board members, government leaders and other supporters who made the renovated branch a reality.
Saturday's grand opening is a day for families and newcomers to experience the refurbished facility and to see how it can be a tool in helping them get and stay fit.
Trainers will be available to show visitors how to use the equipment. Instructors will offer 10-minute sample exercises classes in hip-hop aerobics, cardio pump, tai chi and Pilates. The event also will feature food, games and giveaways.
"The fact that the facility has been made over, I want them to see an investment in the community," said branch director Michael Smith.
Health is a serious issue, Smith noted, and "we need to stop talking about it and doing something. We're seeing an alarming number of people affected by these health issues."
Tipping the scale 14 months ago at 304 pounds was the wake-up call Marty Bishop needed. Now 40 pounds lighter, he's a certified trainer at the Gainsboro center.
"I love it here," said Bishop, 38, a good-natured guy with a bit of drill sergeant in him.
To promote the value of working out, "I use myself. What better way to let people know you can do it?" said the father of four, who gave up fried foods and now eats veggie burgers and only wheat bread.
On the stage, music motivated women of all ages as they loyally followed the commands of trainer Sheila Herron.
The Tuesday evening class was one of 36 the Y branch now offers each week. It used to offer seven. The number of wellness staff, which includes trainers, is seven -- up from two.
After Herron ended the class with her trademark self-hug, she talked about the new energy that has engulfed the Y branch that features nearly 20 pieces of cardio equipment, each with a TV monitor.
"Once we got the [new] equipment in here, people come in and do a lot more networking," Herron said. "More people come in stand around, talking to everybody.
"It was neglected for so many years," Herron said looking around. "When you put pride in anything, people will come."
