Public meeting to discuss future of Washington Ave. YMCA

ALBANY -- A public meeting is being held Tuesday to discuss the future of the YMCA facility at 274 Washington Ave., a community group has announced.

The Save the YMCA organization says it expects YMCA administrators and city leaders, including Mayor Jerry Jennings, to be at the meeting.

The meeting is being held in response to the Capital District YMCA's recent announcement that the facility at 274 Washington Ave. may close early this year due to declining membership.

"The YMCA is an essential part of this neighborhood, this community, this city," said former alderman and 2009 Working Families Party candidate for Albany mayor Corey Ellis. "Its presence on Washington Ave. is clearly important to the people of Albany, and we have to be sure that all avenues and options have been thoroughly explored to keep it open before we can entertain talk of it closing its doors."

Save the YMCA says it plans to introduce a task force that will investigate ways to keep the facility open, and will hold an open discussion with YMCA representatives about measures the YMCA can take to off-set membership fall-off and facility problems. 

The Capital District YMCA says the Washington Ave. building is too old and too large to serve the current membership population, down to around 2,800 from a high of more than 8,000, and cites the building's condition and limited parking as the main factors in deterring membership. 

The meeting will be held in the large auditorium on the first floor at the main branch of the Albany Public Library at 161 Washington Ave., beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5.