Y plans to come back better than before
Published 3:32 pm Wednesday, September 27, 2017
By Lorenzo Salinas
The YMCA of Southeast Texas is returning to a state of normalcy after Harvey hit the area with unprecedented amounts of rainfall. And, if director Bud Oliver has anything to say about it, the Y will return better than ever.
“We’re getting back to normal every day,” Oliver said. “Closer and closer every day.”
According to Oliver, the Y has been extending their hours in an effort to achieve that normalcy as well as to better accommodate their members.
Oliver said everything at the Y has opened back up with the exception of the wellness area. The wellness area is where the free weights, resistance machines and cardio machines are housed.
“We are getting closer to that,” Oliver said in regards to the wellness area being reopened. “We’re finishing up on some sheetrock. We’re hoping that within a week or so we’ll have it back up and running.”
The flooring will come later, as Oliver stressed the importance of having the area back up for members who have been waiting patiently. He estimated the wait time to be seven to 10 days.
“The nursery has been moved to another spot,” Oliver said of an area that had received a lot of water. “Everything in the nursery had been lost. We had to purchase all new stuff.”
Staff is waiting for the flooring to get done at the original nursery spot before moving back there.
Finding funding for repairs has not been easy as Oliver said the Y was struggling financially before Harvey hit. They have been paying out of pocket as well as doing some things themselves.
“Trying to find someone to do the job is tough,” Oliver said. “So, I’ve been doing the drywall.”
There have also been volunteers who have helped with the repair work, whom Oliver described as “incredible.”
In addition, the Y has seen financial help from donors both local and out-of-town.
Oliver praised the donations of such people as Susan and Ron Arceneaux along with their firm, saying that “it’s helped tremendously.”
They gave $20,000 last week.
“So when we go to Parker Lumber to buy insulation and (other) things, we can because we have generous donors who have stepped up,” Oliver said.
Sister organizations like Texas State Alliance of YMCAs and YMCA of the USA have helped them as well.
“There’s even a Y from Watertown, New York who’s called and committed to raising money for helping us purchase nursery equipment,” Oliver said.
Above all, Oliver asked its members to bear with them, and thanked both its donors and members for sticking with them.
“Just be patient with us,” he said. “We’re trying as hard as we can to get it back and open. We want to make sure it’s safe and that the equipment is safe.
“And that when they come back, it’s going to be a better Y. Our main goal is coming back better than before.”
The Y’s current hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Oliver estimated that when the wellness area is reopened, the Y would probably go back to normal hours.