Paul Szmal: And Tom Freelove is here from the Geneva YMCA, where they've been, uh, shall we say a little bit busy of late? How are you, sir?
Guest: I'm well, thank you for having me. Good morning.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. So, uh, yeah, you guys have been busy doing some renovation work and, uh, some of that was, uh, shown off back here on the 15th when the fitness center reopened, right?
Guest: That is correct. So as we started this project, we had four phases and the first phase, we kind of started and staggered a few of our programs. So a couple of the things were closed. And then we got into phase two, a few more things were closed. And as we got to phrase three and so on, so now that we're getting those things done, now we're staggering back to where now we're starting to open certain parts of the building. So the fitness center, yes, that was the first part, 10,000 square foot, state of the art, all new equipment. People are loving it.
Paul Szmal: Cool. So, uh, how would, does the timetable work now going forward?
Guest: So now we're into phase four, which is pretty much the front part of our beard, our building. It's the lobby, the entrance area, the welcome center. And we're hoping somewhere around the end of May, maybe early June, that that part would be completed little finishes and touch-ups here and there. And, uh, somewhere in the beginning of summer, we'll, uh, have a brand new building.
Paul Szmal: So it sounds like you're, you've done like a make-over one phase at a time of the, is it the entire interior of the building?
Guest: That is correct. Uh, there are a few spots that, uh, you can't necessarily see, uh, from, from the member's point of view, because some of these things are mechanicals. Uh, you know, we have a lot of rooftop units that went on top of the building. Uh, we have a dehumidification system that, you know, that helps in the pool area and all of these things will make a huge, huge difference. But some of them are, you know, behind the doors.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. Pay no attention to what's behind the curtain, as they say. So now that, uh, now that the work is starting to be completed and you're actually able to start reopening things that are, uh, that are new, um, what's the, what's the ultimate goal? Is it to, you know, enhance things for the current members? Is it, uh, trying to modernize things for new members or a little of both?
Guest: It's a little bit of both. And this is actually the exciting part. Um, you know, being able to build a new building is one thing, but being able to help people with programming from youth to seniors, family, uh, we are super excited just because of the fact that we've got about probably eight to 10 brand new programs, so being able to have an updated facility allows us to be able to do that.
Paul Szmal: Can we talk about those?
Guest: Yeah, glad you asked. So, you know, one of the big demographics that we feel we do a fairly good job of serving as our senior program, um, a big bulk of our membership with the Y is seniors. So we intend to provide a few more programs there, some that are health and wellness. Some of them are more of social aspect of having special events where they can come together, uh, be with their friends and, and, and kind of hang out. Uh, the next group that we're super, uh, excited to be able to cater to is our toddler group or our, our kind of our preschool enrichment age kids. Uh, we've got a few different programs that involve our, our gymnasium area, our child, uh, watch area, uh, and our pool. We feel that our pool is a, a nice thing for that demographic to be able to utilize at that age. So, uh, there's a few other programs with teens that are involved health and wellness. Um, so again, being able to have an updated facility will allow us to provide these programs.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. And these programs sound well-rounded because they're covering a lot of different aspects.
Guest: Yeah. I mean, that's something that we're proud about at the Y, uh, you know, sometimes we refer to it as cradle to grave. You know, we have people in there that, uh, learning to swim could be 18 months old, uh, as to people that are coming in to work out or, you know, one of those, those social programs through our, our silver sneakers reimbursement, uh, upward towards a hundred. So we, uh, have quite the spectrum of folks there.
Paul Szmal: Now, if people are interested in obtaining a membership to the YMCA, how do they go about doing that?
Guest: Well, I would suggest coming to the Y just because we have a new Y now and to be able to take a tour and take a look at the facility. Uh, so, you know, to come in and, and meet with us and we can go through that process, but you're always welcome to go to GenevaFamilyYMCA.org all of our information is right there. Uh, it's fairly, uh, you know, easy to use. So, uh, check us out online or come on in.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. I mean, there's everything here from, uh, information on, uh, workshops and information sessions to the childcare that's offered, day camps, all sorts of great stuff here. And I love the, uh, the picture of the scissor lift here that's on the, uh, on the page talking about the improvement. Cause it looks like they were working on the roof of the gymnasium where the basketball hoops are. Uh, it looks like, is that a new, like a new drop ceiling that was put in there?
Guest: Yeah. So I think you're referring to the front part of the building that actually allowed us to add storage. So as, as most recreation buildings lack is storage. So that was a, a really good thing to add into that project.
Paul Szmal: Yeah. And again, they have a pool.
Guest: Yeah. Our, our pool is, is, uh, really one in Ontario County, you know, there's not really many public pools in this area. So we were excited to be able to, you know, that's one of those spaces where, you know, it doesn't look a lot different, but if you go into the mechanical room, it definitely looks a lot different. A lot of upgrades in the pool area. And like you say, putting in the new dehumidification unit and everything, it's going to feel different.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. It won't have that jungle feeling.
Guest: Right. Exactly.
Paul Szmal: So again, Geneva family, YMCA.org is the web address where you can find out more. It's Geneva family, YMCA.org. Appreciate you coming in, Todd.
Guest: Thank you so much, man.
Paul Szmal: No, thank you. I appreciate you having me.
