WOONSOCKET – The Woonsocket YMCA, which has been a staple nonprofit in the city for more than a century, will close its doors permanently on Jan. 1.
YMCA of Pawtucket CEO and President Jeff Merhige announced the closing in a letter to the community, citing financial strain with the organization and he confirmed the closure Monday to Providence Business News. He said in the letter that the board of directors reviewed the Woonsocket YMCA’s finances to try and find alternatives to shutting its doors.
“But rising costs associated with maintaining an aging building, accompanied by the financial strain of declining membership and program enrollment, provided no better alternative,” Merhige wrote in the letter. “While we are disappointed that we must close this facility, we are also committed to exploring other opportunities to service the community of Woonsocket, including through our expanding child care program.”
The Woonsocket YMCA was first established in 1901 and operated out the old Woonsocket U.S. Postal Service building, which includes the nonprofit’s pool facility. The organization’s membership voted in 2012 to become part of the YMCA of Pawtucket.
Merhige told PBN in an email the decision to close the Woonsocket YMCA was a difficult one and had been a discussion point for the last few years. He also said that to help the branch, the YMCA has been operating it at a deficit "for years." In the last few years that operational support and deficit has increased, Merhige said, and the YMCA has subsidized it more than $1 million.
He also noted in letters to members that they will receive a 50% discount on their membership cost for the 2024 calendar year if they transfer their memberships to either the Pawtucket Family YMCA or MacColl YMCA in nearby Lincoln. There are about 1,000 members with the Woonsocket YMCA, Merhige said.
Additionally, Merhige noted in a letter to Woonsocket YMCA staff that the YMCA of Pawtucket will assist impacted staffers in finding "suitable employment" within other association branches, particularly at Pawtucket Family YMCA or MacColl. Merhige did not immediately answer how many staffers will be affected by the Woonsocket YMCA's closure.
Merhige did say the YMCA will be expanding its child care footprint in Woonsocket, working with local agencies and government to find ways to expand health, wellness and aquatic offerings in an effort to find alternative ways to deliver services to city residents in lieu of the branch's closure.
"We will now be able to redirect resources to create new programming to meet community needs," he said.
(UPDATED 5th and 6th paragraphs with additional information from YMCA of Pawtucket CEO and President Jeff Merhige.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
