KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Five of the 11 YMCAs in the greater Kansas City area will open their doors for members on Monday. All of them are on the Missouri side of the state line, and that means thousands of people in the metro will get to lift weights and use cardio machines, and maybe even take some group exercise classes again.
For eight weeks, the doors at all the Kansas City YMCA’s have been closed to people who consider the facility their favorite place to work out, socialize, and find great children’s programs.
John Mikos, the CEO of the Greater Kansas City YMCA is glad to see it happen.
“We have missed our members so much over the last two months. We’ve been very fortunate that a lot of our members have stayed with us. Many of them have even converted their memberships to donations. As a non-profit organization, we are not immune to the financial issues that are facing us today,” he said.
As Missouri YMCA facilities begin to reopen, their hours will be reduced and things will look much different, starting when you walk through the front doors. Masked and gloved employees will ask members a series of questions about their health and recent travels. Both staff and members will have their temperatures taken upon entrance. Members will need to bring their own water, towels and masks to be worn in common areas of the facility, but they will not have to mask up while they are working out.
Mikos says there will be additional changes.
“The things that are going to be open are our wellness areas. Some locations will have some group exercise classes, but not every location. Some of the things that will be closed will be the locker rooms, although the restrooms will be available. Swimming pool and Kid Zone will be closed,” he explained.
Right now, many of the cardio machines are closed off to allow for adequate space between members as they work out. Anyone using the weight machines will also be asked to wipe them down after every use, and employees will constantly sanitize high touch areas.
Monday represents only the first phase of the Ys plans to slowly reopen. The facilities on the Kansas side will begin the process on June 1. Swimming pools are projected to open in mid-June.
The main reason they are closed is because locker rooms are not open. Mikos says any of their plans and projections may change as government regulations in Kansas and Missouri evolve.
Many of the Y’s summer day camps for kids will open in June. Mikos says they are ready because the childcare at the Y has remained open for essential workers around the community. He says they have been able to do that safely and will implement the same measures for day camps.
All YMCA youth sports have been indefinitely canceled.
