By Lorenzo Salinas

l.v.salinas@panews.com

 

The sound of sneakers catching on the gym floor; the clang of another plate being racked onto the barbell; the chlorine smell of an indoor pool wafting through the locker room; the quick blur of a basketball being tossed back and forth—all are sure signs that the Y is open and that people are coming back to it.

The YMCA of Southeast Texas is slowly but surely returning to full operational status nearly two months after Harvey. And while it may not be completely back yet, the fact that the Y will be returning to regular hours over the weekend is a good indicator that it’s on the right track to recovery.

“We will start regular hours on Saturday moving forward,” Bud Oliver, director, said. “But we still have floors that need to be replaced.”

Among those floors are the racquetball court, the group fitness room and a number of offices in the building. But Oliver estimated that as far as members go, restoration work was about 80 percent done.

The Y’s weight room—an area where machines, free weights and cardio equipment is held—was reopened last week. Despite the bare floors, all the equipment seemed to be present and ready for use.

“Now we’re taking a chance to paint and to do updates,” Oliver said about the weight room and other areas of the Y. “It’ll be better than before.”

Leonard Mosca, a Nederland resident and YMCA member for two years, was in the weight room Thursday operating a press machine.

Mosca said maintaining a routine of coming to the Y and working out was definitely important to him.

“It means a great deal. You don’t want to miss your routine,” he said.

Sitting across from him, Paul Martin listened and gave some of his own experiences when coming back after Harvey. Martin has been employed with the Y for six years.

“I came back two weeks after Harvey,” he said. He was also balancing his time with volunteering at the Jack Brooks Airport beforehand.

Martin helped with cleanup and restoration at the Y. He indicated a section of wall in the weight room that sported a new coat of paint along with the iconic Y sigil.

“We always talked about remodeling,” he said. “This became the perfect chance to do it. We looked at it and said, ‘It’s time. It’s the perfect time to do it.’”

Martin said it meant a great deal to him to see all the hard work staff and volunteers have been putting in to help get the Y operational again.

Further down the room where the squat racks were, Denise Diaz was working out with her headphones on. She has been a Y member for eight years and keeps a steady routine.

“I love this place,” she said, adding that she came back as soon as the Y had reopened the weight room.

As for the rest of the building, Oliver said it could be a while before it would return to 100 percent. He attributed much of that to the wait time involved with insurance, contractors and installers. But, he asked members for their patience and understanding.

“Be patient,” Oliver said. “Regular hours will start this weekend. That’s one step closer to getting back where we need to be.”

Regular hours for the Y will be as follows: Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 pm.; Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.