YMCA fits in more to allow for growth
CRANBERRY TWP — When the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA opened 10 years ago, the staff and board of directors didn't know how many members it would have and which machines or rooms within the building would be most popular.
Last year, with a membership of about 13,000, the facility launched a project to address one of the most common complaints from members: There were too few exercise machines in the wellness center.
“The wellness center was built a little bit small. We have had a problem the last few years,” said Sandy Ihlenfeld, vice president of healthy living and community outreach for the Butler YMCA, which operates the Schneider Family facility.
“Part of our mission is to create health opportunities for people, but we didn't have enough pieces or spaces for people to use,” she said.
And they found a way to address this issue without expanding their 80,000-square-foot building.
The project, which started last November and is on schedule to finish this month, included converting one of the building's three gymnasiums into a strength and conditioning center.
This room was refurbished and furnished with new weightlifting equipment including machines and free weights. There is an Olympic-style lifting station with a lifting platform and bumper plates and also an area with a turf surface that can be used for exercises such as flipping tires and pushing sleds.
The space was designed to give opportunities to people of a wide variety of experience and ability levels.
“We try to have equipment for new exercises and also for sports and conditioning and cross training,” Ihlenfeld said. “It's like a workout dream place.”
The wellness center, which formerly held both cardiovascular and weight-training equipment, has been transformed into a room dedicated to cardio equipment.
All the machines were replaced and the room now has about 60 pieces of equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, all-movement trainers, bikes, rowing machines and Jacob's ladders — a newer type of exercise machine that simulates climbing up a ladder.
The machines all have screens where members can watch television or surf the Internet during their workout.
Renovations to those two rooms were done and members had a chance to put them to use by late December.
Members have already commented that they are happy with the new equipment and expanded exercise space as compared to the previous configuration, Ihlenfeld said.
“We had gotten member complaints — it was really true — if you came in to exercise you couldn't get on anything, ever,” she said.Early this month, two group fitness rooms were also being redone and were not yet in use.Part of the cardiovascular room is being enclosed and converted into a new cycle studio where members will take group fitness classes.Another room that previously was used as a group cycle studio is being outfitted with hardwood floors and will become a mind-body studio.The studio will be used for new and expanded programming, such as yoga and Pilates.Ihlenfeld said the YMCA staff members anticipate that the new equipment will help the membership at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA continue to grow.“We expect to see a membership growth because of this, there is now room for growth,” she said.And as the Cranberry Township community continues to grow in the future, the YMCA has room on its property to potentially expand, she said.Located on 20.1 acres at the intersection of Route 19 and Ehrman Road, the property has a walking trail and fields used for outdoor activities.New programming in the group fitness rooms is set to begin in mid-February.The YMCA will hold a grand opening event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 28. It will be open to the public, including people who are not YMCA members.The YMCA, a nonprofit organization, offers scholarships to community members who cannot afford a membership. For more information, visit www.bcfymca.org.
