YMCA says it will close its Waukesha facility, open a new YMCA at WCTC in Pewaukee

WAUKESHA - The 70-year-old Waukesha YMCA, the cornerstone of what became the much larger YMCA of Greater Waukesha County , will eventually close its doors once a new YMCA facility opens in Pewaukee.

The local chapter of the nonprofit organization announced both moves as part of a strategic partnership with Waukesha County Technical College for a new, full-service YMCA facility on the WCTC campus off Highway 16 in Pewaukee, an initiative still in its early stages.

YMCA officials pointed to the logic of opening a new facility against the backdrop of an outdated one, which has undergone numerous modifications over the years but is landlocked in a tightly configured lot along East Broadway on the southeastern edge of Waukesha's downtown area.

"The existing Waukesha YMCA facility, built in 1954, is well beyond its lifespan with aged infrastructure accessibility barriers and operational inefficiencies," the YMCA said in a July 17 news release. "Coupled with growing demand for services, YGWC had to look elsewhere for expansion."

Waukesha YMCA highlights plans for WCTC campus facility

The new YMCA at WCTC in Pewaukee is currently a work in progress. Officials have only just begun planning a capital campaign to raise $30 million to help fund the WCTC site. The campaign and planning process may run as long as three years, YMCA officials said. Construction would begin once those elements are complete.

Officials did not detail how the joint partnership will unfold, announcing only that the new "state-of-the-art" YMCA would be located somewhere on the campus in a new building. The village of Pewaukee would also be part of the planning process.

Regardless, the facility would be "full-service" YMCA, offering fitness, health and recreational programs and including drop-in child watch services. It would most readily would serve students, staff, and faculty at the college, but would also be accessible to all area residents.

"We are excited to join forces with WCTC on this initiative," Chris Becker, YMCA of Greater Waukesha County's chief executive officer, said in the release. "This new YMCA facility will provide a central location for our community to gather, stay active, and engage in a wide variety of programs and services. We look forward to serving the WCTC community, the surrounding Waukesha area, and continuing our commitment to Greater Waukesha County."

It adds value to WCTC's campus, as well, officials added.

"We could not be more excited to welcome the YMCA to our campus," WCTC President Rich Barnhouse said in the press release. "I see this new partnership as a wonderful opportunity to serve our campus community as well as the greater Waukesha region. Bringing the YMCA to WCTC will bring even more visitors to our campus that will showcase why the College is a hub of Waukesha County."

City of Waukesha acknowledges loss of YMCA

While a Pewaukee plan comes together, a Waukesha plan for the future is still too far off for definitive answers at this point. But that doesn't mean that local officials aren't thinking about it.

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, in a statement, both acknowledged the role the YMCA has played locally and how the city will address its loss, once the doors close for the last time in the years ahead.

"The YMCA has been a vital and important entity within Waukesha for years," Reilly said. "It has offered invaluable services and fostered a sense of community for countless residents. While I understand the YMCA's decision to move out of Waukesha, it is undoubtedly a significant loss for our community."

However, the city has its own resources to make up for some of the difference, he added.

"As a city, our focus remains on fostering a high quality of life for our community members," Reilly said. "We will continue to provide recreation and enrichment services to the community through our City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, library programming and other services."

Jennifer Andrews, Waukesha's community development director, acknowledged the planned closing of the facility matters to the fabric of the city, adding that the news wasn't expected.

"I am surprised and very disappointed to hear that the YMCA will be leaving the City of Waukesha community," Andrews said in an email Thursday. "The YMCA has been providing services to, and been supported by, our community for 130 years. Many Waukesha families will be impacted by this decision to leave the community. We would have liked the opportunity to find a solution for their needs in the City of Waukesha."

Could downtown Waukesha site be a major redevelopment?

As to what will happen to the Waukesha campus, nothing is certain fresh off the YMCA's announcement.

Reilly only said city officials will "work diligently to attract new opportunities for our community in the downtown space." And it's a lot of space, one that has grown substantially since the turn of the century.

Becker was at the head of efforts to expand the campus over the past quarter century. The 1954 building, which climbs several floors, itself has a big footprint. But the parking lot to the east was once substantially smaller until the YMCA bought neighboring properties — including a historic gas station on the corner of Broadway and Hartwell Avenue — and other uses never materialized.

Andrews agreed it's too early to tell how the property will evolve. That will partly depend on the YMCA organization itself. Redevelopment proposals have typically emerged only after a property has been placed on the real estate market.

"It appears, from the reporting, that they will continue to operate the Waukesha facility for the next couple of years while they raise money to build their new facility in Pewaukee," she noted. "I am hopeful that we will be able to work with the YMCA to find a new owner/service provider for their property. Ultimately, the YMCA owns the property and can choose how they want to exit that ownership."

Local YMCA has expanded greatly in recent years

While the downtown Waukesha building has stood for seven decades, and the local charter dates back to 1894 , the YMCA of Greater Waukesha County has evolved considerably, both in terms of facilities and its reach.

The construction of the big brick structure dates back to a time when YMCAs often had rooms available as temporary shelter for men, a fact often mentioned in pop culture. (The 1970s disco hit song, "Y.M.C.A.," by the Village People, famously pronounced "It's fun to stay at the YMCA.")

Over the years, the Waukesha facility focused on broader family initiatives, including summer programs for kids, strength and aerobic training equipment for adults and athletic facilities for basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. Additions to the rear of the building and interior remodeling reworked space, sometimes to emphasize newer programs.

Despite those renovations, the nonprofit saw opportunities elsewhere.

In 2012, after a decade of planning, the Waukesha YMCA opened an all-new 58,000-square-foot facility in Mukwonago, at 245 East Wolf Run, which expanded dramatically five years later. The 12,000-square-foot addition included a child-care room, larger and enhanced cycling studio, large group exercise area and expanded free-weight area, along with two 4-year-old kindergarten classrooms as part of Y-GWC’s partnership with the Mukwonago Area School District.

But the biggest jump occurred in 2014, with the acquisition from the bankrupt YMCA of Greater Milwaukee. The transaction netted three existing facilities: Southwest YMCA in Greenfield, Tri County YMCA in Menomonee Falls and West Suburban YMCA in Wauwatosa.

In 2019, the YMCA of Greater Waukesha County converted a medical building and opened a 13,000-square-foot facility specialized facility in New Berlin's City Center district. The YMCA Wellness Center at 3610 Michelle Witmer Memorial Drive offers programs aimed primarily at adults 50 and older. It includes a training kitchen.

The organization also operates Camp Double Eagle, a 30-acre camp in the town of Eagle within the southern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: YMCA says it will close its Waukesha facility, open a new YMCA at WCTC in Pewaukee