HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The new Hutchinson YMCA is off to a strong start after nearly matching in one week what the previous facility averaged in a month.
David Foster, with the Hutchinson YMCA, said the new facility had nearly 9,000 member check-ins from Monday through Sunday during its first week. Foster said the old YMCA had 10,700 check-ins during the entire month of May.
“So, we saw almost as many people the first week as we usually do in a month,” Foster said.
The new YMCA opened for business June 8 after an open house that drew about 5,000 people from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Saturday before opening.
“That kind of carried over into our first day of opening, and the whole first week has been great,” Foster said. “The first couple days of this week have been the same, lots of new memberships, lots of people coming in and visiting and checking it out, which has been everything we’ve hoped for, and even a little bit more.”
Foster said about 1,700 to 1,800 people checked in on opening day. While the parking lot has remained full, he said the new facility has enough space to handle the larger crowds.
“One of the comments I probably hear more than anything is, once people get in, they’re like, ‘Man, the parking lot’s really full, but once we’re in here, it doesn’t really seem like people are just crawling all over each other,’” Foster said. “We’ve got so many more new spaces and can spread people out a little bit, and that’s been a real blessing to be able to not only serve that many people but serve them at a high level as well.”
Foster said the first Saturday night youth event at the new YMCA also brought a strong turnout, with 96 middle school students attending.
“That’s a pretty good number, especially for the summer, with vacations and lots of other options for kids to do,” Foster said. “They were able to come and enjoy the new amenities and had a great time.”
Foster said the rush of new members has started to steady out some since the YMCA’s opening promotion ended Monday, but people are continuing to come in for tours, memberships and guest passes.
“The mass rush, I think we’ve got a little bit of that behind us now,” Foster said. “But we’re still excited as more people continue to come in, probably the ones that thought, ‘I’m going to give it the first week or two and kind of let the crowds, at least in the registration lines, kind of thin out a little bit.’”
The YMCA also offers $10-a-day guest pass for local residents who want to try out the facility before joining. Foster said the YMCA continues to see visitors through the nationwide YMCA program, which allows members from other cities and states to use the Hutchinson facility.
Foster said Hutchinson members also have access to 11 other YMCA facilities in the greater Wichita area, along with YMCAs across the country through the nationwide program.
The new 75,000-square-foot facility includes a walking and jogging track, gymnastics center, three group exercise studios, fitness center and family pool.
“Everybody’s been wowed in a really good way,” Foster said. “It’s impressive when you drive by, but coming in, it just gives you a whole different feel.”
Foster said the YMCA has tried to make the most of the space throughout the new building.
“Not a lot of wasted space at all,” Foster said. “I think we’ve maximized about all 75,000 square feet of the new facility, and the walking track and the gymnastics center and the three separate group exercise studios have all been big hits.”
The family pool includes a splash pad and lazy channel, similar to a lazy river. Foster said the YMCA is also using the channel for exercise classes.
“We have specific classes in the channel so people can walk with and walk against the current, and those have been well attended also,” Foster said.
When asked what areas have been used the most so far, Foster said it has been “almost a toss-up” between the pools, the upstairs fitness center and the walking and jogging track.
Foster said the biggest surprise has been the number of new people using the facility, along with the response from current members who moved over from the former YMCA.
“It’s just been a great environment,” Foster said. “Our staff are doing an absolute great job welcoming people in, even with the big crowds.”
Foster said staff members have worked to keep lines moving and help new members get connected as quickly as possible.
“They’ve just been doing a really good job making sure we serve people at a high level and get them in and get them connected as soon as we can,” Foster said.
The YMCA is also continuing to hire for part-time positions, including membership service associates and Kids Zone staff.
“We have several part-time openings,” Foster said. “We’re kind of always hiring, we say.”
Foster said the Kids Zone has been a major draw for families.
“Our Kids Zone has been a huge hit as well, and we’ve got a great staff in there, but we’re always looking to add more people as we continue to get busier and serve more kids and families,” Foster said.
The opening comes during a milestone year for the organization. Foster said the YMCA is celebrating 150 years of service in Hutchinson and 175 years of the YMCA in the United States.
Membership options include youth memberships for $19 per month, adult single memberships for $39.90, family memberships for $59.90, active older adult memberships for $35 and active older adult couple memberships for $46.25.
Foster said income-based financial assistance remains available.
“We don’t want people to think that, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s this nice new building, and we probably can’t afford to be members there,’” Foster said. “That’s part of our mission, to make the Y for all, regardless of the ability to pay.”
Foster said the YMCA wants people to find the membership option that works best for them.
“We encourage everybody to come in and find an option that works best for them and their family, and we want to get them connected,” Foster said.
The YMCA also offers programs for older adults, water exercise classes and the Will Power Hour class, which is free to anyone in the community with Parkinson’s or another neurological diagnosis.
Foster said the Will Power Hour has averaged 63 people per class since the new YMCA opened.
The water classes have also been beneficial for people working through injuries or looking for low-impact exercise.
“You can do a lot of things in the water that you might not be able to do on land,” Foster said. “Those classes are very beneficial as well.”