GERMANTOWN Y ON THE REBOUND

The closing of the Germantown Y in July 2008 was a substantial loss to the members, the community in general and to all those churches and civic organizations that depended on its services.  For all practical purposes there was no recognized effort to reopen the fitness and exercise portion for over a year, although the residence programs continued.

Using the by-laws of the organization the membership organized a recovery committee in January of 2009 which, despite its efforts, was unable to access enough information to redirect the failed management practices, but a newly constituted board was later created through an election and new officers were then elected in August.  This volunteer group has met every two weeks ever since with the goals of renewing the credibility of the Y, making the needed repairs caused by the flood, and reopening to the public at the earliest possible opportunity.

The road back has not been without its challenges, but the commitment of board members in retrieving vital management information, establishing priorities, and hands-on efforts with volunteers has been gratifying. There are still some financial and legal challenges to overcome, but the expertise of individuals with facilities and construction backgrounds has enabled us to make significant progress with interior repairs and we anticipate opening some portions as soon as March 2010.

We recently held our first membership meeting in years and the turnout and response was encouraging.  Volunteer help from former employees on newly formed committees will enable us to keep the community informed and fill some of the vacancies which still exist on the board.  Some revisions of the By-Laws have been accomplished to bring the Y and its policies closer to the all-inclusive facility that it has evolved into over the years.

I am as disappointed as anyone that an institution of this significance and importance to the community was not able to better manage itself, even with the setback of a flood in a portion of the facility.  I am also disappointed that our political leadership has shown little interest in the renewal process.

However, we will continue to bootstrap our way to again providing the services that this institution has made available to Germantown for over 100 years.  I would like to personally thank all those who have supported us and our goals through their own volunteer efforts.

Jim Foster                                                                                                        

Board President

Germantown Y