Workout machines on the second floor of the Greater Pittston YMCA will remain silent until the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania lifts the current pandemic shutdown.
The Greater Pittston YMCA installed a new HVAC unit during the current shutdown that will service the second floor, incluidng the offices and gymnasium.
Many Pittston YMCA programs, such as this aeorbics class, are being offered virtually during the COVID shutdown.
Drach
PITTSTON – The Greater Pittston YMCA has been shut down, once again, due to COVID-19 for 2020, but Director Janelle Drach continues to reinvent the wheel in order to keep members happy and healthy.
The first shutdown took place in mid-March lasting nearly three-months, an unprecedented situation straining staff and the facility financially. Some services were kept open according to the rules laid out by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, while services were held virtually and some were halted.
“While we did have to remain closed for almost three months, we took that time to prepare for reopening and make specific plans to provide a safe return for our members, staff and daycare families,” Drach said. “The current closure and previous ones have been hard for our members, but we hope to reopen to the community at the date designated. In the meantime, we still remain open for our early learning educational programs, including our toddler room, PreK room and ACHIEVE (virtual learning) school, which is serving over 50 families right now.”
Drach is hoping the current shutdown will be short-lived and the Y will reopen on Jan. 4, a date set by PA Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. Now that the COVID vaccine is being distributed to the elderly and first responders before it goes to the general public, there is always a chance the Jan. 4 date could be in jeopardy.
“The shutdown always puts us in a position of finding new and innovative ways to continue to engage our members and provide community support as much as possible,” Drach explained. “Our ‘in-person’ services are a primary reason for our strong membership ties. Our staff has formed many special bonds with families and members and not being able to engage with them as directly as we are used to is always a concern and one we have been addressing through virtual programming options.”
Having experienced a shutdown, the current shutdown is easier to manage programs.
“We have continued to operate our early learning programs to serve working families who need a safe and supervised location to bring their children,” Drach said. “Our swim programs were put on pause and we have moved as many of our wellness classes to a virtual option. With the recent merger with the Wilkes-Barre YMCA, all our Greater Pittston members now have dozens of new virtual wellness programs to access to accompany our programs as well.”
In addition to the wellness programs, the Y offered a variety of virtual youth programs, where families picked up supplies and then followed along at home via a YouTube channel. Some of those kits included Playdough, slime making supplies and sports equipment.
During the current shutdown, the Y has been able to make a major improvement to the infrastructure. A new HVAC system was installed on the roof to handle second floor office spaces and gymnasium air quality. The new system incorporates “scrubbers” which aid in removal of smaller air particles to keep the air cleaner than in the past.
If the shutdown goes past Jan. 4, the Greater Pittston YMCA will have contingency plans in place.
“We are prepared and have been working with other PA YMCA’s in the region to come up with as much virtually engaging programs that we can if we are not permitted to reopen our wellness center,” Drach said. “It will mean we are unable to keep some of our staff working at their typically weekly hours, but as much as possible we are finding opportunities for them to work on engagement pieces in the community and with our members. There are also training opportunities we can take advantage of for our staff as well.”
The past year, the Greater Pittston Y merged with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Y in a move to both strengthen membership while keeping financially solvent. It’s a move that Drach feels will benefit all involved.
“We actually solidified our merger during the shutdown in early May,” Drach acknowledged. “Both entities were focused on seeing that come to fruition and it has helped us with combining a number of key resources to reduce costs. We have also been utilizing cross training for our staff and the merger will afford us more opportunities to seek grant funding and recourses from Y-USA as well. Overall we are excited to give members more access to new and diverse programs, and there is so much more to come once we are able to fully engage with them upon reopening.
Becoming the new YMCA director has not been easy since taking over the reins at the Greater Pittston YMCA in July 2019. Getting adjusted to a new job is always challenging and implementing new programs and schedules can be interesting, but facing a never-seen-before pandemic has been difficult.
“There have been so many ways we have been supported throughout the past year,” Drach said. “From individual members making scholarship donations, to local businesses making in-kind donations to fundraisers and larger foundations supporting our efforts to provide childcare to essential workers. We continue to strive to help our community in as many ways as possible.”
“From our summer toy drive to hosting 3 blood drives – our community has seen we are so much more than a gym,” Drach added. “We are here to support our community and they support us too. The generosity of our community during these hard times is a true testament of their faith in the work we are doing and the positive impacts we are making on families from our area. We have been an institution in our community for over 120 years and we plan to be here for a long time to come. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the New Year.”
