PEABODY — The signs on the walls say it all — Welcome back!
After 16 weeks of closure, the YMCA of Metro North is back in business. On Tuesday, the Torigian Family YMCA became the first Metro North facility to open its doors to the public since the March 15 statewide shutdown.
Members lined up early, some arriving before the 6 a.m opening. By 1:30, nearly 170 members had checked in, much to the delight of Metro North CEO Kathleen Walsh.
“It’s been a great day. I feel like it’s a brand new opening of a YMCA,” Walsh said. “The feedback has been exceptional. People are grateful and wearing their masks. They feel safe while getting a great workout. It’s amazing how many people have said how ecstatic they are to be back.”
New safety and cleaning procedures are in place, including mandatory face masks for staff and members, spaced strength equipment, 6-foot plexiglass shields between cardio machines and mandatory reservations for pool lanes and group classes.
Some areas will remain closed due to the recommendations of public health officials including saunas, steam rooms, and child watch services. Indoor group exercise classes will be introduced next week with outdoor and virtual classes continuing.
“We plan to introduce more activities and amenities as we get additional guidance from health officials and when we know that we can do so in a safe way,” said Torigian Executive Director Rob Lowell. “Part of the experience of the YMCA is the social interactions our members enjoy, especially with popular classes like water fitness, yoga, and cycling. These classes will return in the second phase of our opening plan, for now we are concentrating on getting all of our branches opened while maintaining a healthy environment.”
Senior Member Engagement Director Justin Cammarata said Tuesday was in stark contrast to the days immediately following the state shutdown.
“It was depressing as what we do is completely driven by our members, so without them, it was so empty,” he said. “To have everything back is just so uplifting for everyone and a real emotional experience.”
Metro North will open its Melrose fitness center July 13. Branches in Lynn and Saugus
will follow shortly thereafter. Branches have modified hours and capacity will be reduced to 40 percent of normal occupancy.
Melrose resident Greg Whelan said he normally works out at the Melrose Y, but decided to get an early start instead at Torigian.
“I figured I’d see what was going on here,” he said before his workout. “I’ll probably just do something to get my heart rate up. I want to see how many people are there and get an idea of what the layout is like.”
Kevin Chasse of Lynn said he wore a mask during his workout, but it didn’t have any adverse effect in terms of his ability to breathe or comfort level.
“It was no problem at all,” he said. “It was a little weird with the separators between all the machines and they changed it around a little bit so it was a little bit to get used to it. They have some new machines in there, so, all in all, it was pretty good. It’s been so long since I actually worked out so it’s nice to be starting to get back to normal with everything.”
While Metro North budgeted $100,000 for reopening preparations at its four facilities, Walsh said several silver linings have been revealed.
“The big thing is everything we did is for the long term. We didn’t make any short-term decisions based on having a vaccine, so it was money well spent,” she said. “There are a lot of things we are not going to change when this is over. We found that some things we did are better, are safer, like the partitions, which are great. They add a real element of privacy and the overall layout is so much more functional.”
Lowell said another long-term benefit of the improvements and protocols has been the Camp Eastman day camp drop off and pick up.
“Parents stay in their cars so it’s so much better and we will never change that,” he said.
“Today is a reminder of how much the Y means to the community and the people we serve. Just to see the expressions on their faces when they came in, they were excited and when they left they were thankful and reassured.”
