HALIFAX – It’s been a fixture in Halifax for decades, but the YMCA on South Park Street will be closing its doors for good at the end of May.
Plans are in place to construct a 70,000 square-foot facility on the corner of Sackville Street and South Park Street, but it won’t open until 2017.
People who use the YMCA’s facilities say they’ll miss it in the meantime.
“I’m sad, I’m shocked. I’ve been coming here for almost a decade, so this has been pretty much a staple in my life for a big chunk of my life,” said Sarah Haybecker, who regularly goes with her son.
Kelsey Lane, who’s only been going to the facility for a few weeks, said the closure will be “a detriment to the community.”
Bette Watson-Borg, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth, said the new facility will serve people well when it’s finished.
Construction on the project hasn’t started yet. Watson-Borg said the YMCA simply can’t keep the current building open because of its aging infrastructure.
“This facility has served us well for many years, and at this point in time it has reached the end of it’s useful life,” she said.
The child care program run from the club will be relocating to Saint Thomas Aquinas Church community building.
Seven full-time and 31 part-time employees will be affected by the closure.
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