Glens Falls Y $5.5-million upgrade plan; Saratoga YMCA now its parent

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

The Glens Falls YMCA — now a branch of the Saratoga Regional YMCA — is seeking $4 million in the public portion of its $5.5 million capital campaign to upgrade its building and expand its parking.

Allison D’Antonio, Interim CEO of the Saratoga Y and its Vice President of Operations, said, “When the management agreement began, we recognized right from the start that the (Glens Falls) facility was in dire need of improvements, not just to add additional programming and services, but to sustain the current facility. It’s been a three-year conversation.”

They plan to break ground in the fall, even if the full goal has not yet been raised, Ms. D’Antonio said. “If we need to, we will find other means to get the project done. We’re all in.”

They aim to bring membership back to pre-Covid levels, or more.

“Before the pandemic, the Glens Falls Y had 8,000 members,” Saratoga Regional YMCA development director Allie Mantica tells The Chronicle. “Membership dropped by 49% during the pandemic and had been slowly increasing back, but we had only gotten back to 73%.”

Ms. Mantica said, “An investment…needed to be made to re-engage with prior members as well as to be able to attract the next generation of members.

“With a redesigned state-of-the-art YMCA in Glens Falls, we believe we will easily grow to over 10,000 members, well in excess of pre-pandemic membership levels.”

Planned upgrades

• New Adirondack-style entry with an overhang roof. Glens Falls Branch Manager Lauren Cygan says, “We have real needs to have a covered and welcoming entryway from the parking lot into the facility, keeping snow and ice away from the direct entrance to the building.” The design “ties into the Adirondack foothills and gives the sense of, ‘Come in, we’re here; here’s a welcoming entrance.’”

  Ms. Cygan said that with administrative functions largely moved to Saratoga, “we have a lot of under-used space. Greater than a third” of the interior will be used in other ways.

• The only change to the building footprint will be on one side of the pool, to incorporate a new hot tub and steam sauna at deck level.
• Upgrade men’s, women’s and family locker rooms. Instead of “lots of twists and turns” and “a maze of changing room spaces,” Ms. Cygan says, “Think clean, safe sight lines and health safety, very clean surfaces and very clear sight lines,” with modern lockers and accessibility.

  They’re “still discussing” whether there will be room for assigned VIP lockers.

• For children, new indoor play and climbing area, potentially with a “Ninja Zone,” popular open-ended fitness-obstacle-parkour course for young children to teens, for exercise or private parties.

  That would take over some current racquetball spaces, which themselves are outfitted for indoor pickleball.

• For adults, a new functional fitness space for free weights, medicine balls, battle ropes and other accessories, a bright space with turf and matted flooring, Ms. Cygan said. Such workouts are currently relegated “like an afterthought,” she said, to the corners outside the Wellness Center track, where ellipticals and other machines are central.
• Update the cycle space, to be better suited for spin classes.
• Add a group fitness room, adjacent to the cycle room, and convert one of two current fitness studios for dedicated, quiet mind-body activities — rather than “always shifting temperature and equipment between Body Pump and Gentle Yoga,” Ms. Cygan said.
• Update the lobby to add programming space to be determined, in what is now a little-used waiting area.
• No change to the gymnastics area, or Wellness Center, both recently re-done.

She heads Glens Falls YMCA

Glens Falls YMCA Director Laura Cygan says, “When this position became available, it was a dream come true.” Ms. Cygan said she and her family moved here pre-pandemic, “because we just love Glens Falls,” from visiting her parents on Lake George “for years.” She was working remotely for a private health and fitness company in New Jersey when the chance to lead the Glens Falls Y opened. Text & photo/Cathy DeDe

YMCA Community Carnival is Saturday

The Glens Falls YMCA invites “families friends and neighbors” to a free Community Carnival on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On tap: Games, treats and family friendly activities “to raise awareness and support” for the capital campaign.

Glens Falls is now Saratoga Y’s biggest branch

Other than Saratoga’s home facility, Glens Falls is now the Regional Y’s largest branch, its interim CEO Allison D’Antonio said, “with Wilton right behind.” Saratoga also oversees the Battenkill Branch in Greenwich, Corinth and Malta.

Why did Glens Falls opt last year to come under the Saratoga umbrella?

“Saratoga allows Glens Falls to be Glens Falls, running an independent Y, while the overhead costs you need to manage an independent branch — CEO, CFO, HR, development — all of these really big roles are handled by the association,” said Glens Falls YMCA Director Laura Cygan.

Ms. D’Antonio said, “It’s really important to us that each branch is reflective of their community and their needs.

When Brian Bearor stepped down as CEO in 2021, the Glens Falls Y first entered into a management agreement with the Capital District Y, Ms. Cygan said. “But we weren’t well aligned with their operating and programming,” whereas aligning with Saratoga “was extraordinary,” she said.

“They really understood the way we operate, both as our branch for Glens Falls, and we have the smaller Chestertown Regional Wellness Center also.” It was “easy” to make the move to be a full-out partner. — Cathy DeDe

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