The gym closed, but the Cross Island Y never stopped serving Queens
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A YMCA staff member cleans the equipment at the Cross Island Y, which reopened at limited capacity on Sept. 8. Photo courtesy of the YMCA
By David Brand
The Cross Island Y entered an important phase of the organization’s reopening plan on Sept. 8, when members in masks first got a chance to hit the spaced-out treadmills and separated squat racks.
Cross Island was one of five YMCA branches across the city that began welcoming back gymgoers at 33 percent capacity to comply with state regulations. But the Bellerose facility, the first Queens branch to reopen to gym customers, never really stopped serving borough residents.
For months, fitness instructors hosted virtual and outdoor sessions, universal pre-K teachers conducted remote classes and the early childhood team partnered with New York Presbyterian Hospital to provide child care throughout the summer.
“Cross Island continued services throughout the pandemic,” said Executive Director La-Vena Francis. “We kept connected with members, even though they were not physically at our branch, to support health.”
The YMCA of New York City decided to reopen one branch in each borough last week. On Sept. 15, five additional sites across the city, including the Rockaway and Long Island City Ys, will open their doors once more.
Francis said things have gone smoothly at the Cross Island Y. “Members and the community were very excited about coming back,” she said.
Several services remain suspended, such as the swimming pool and group exercise classes, and the partial reopening has forced the Y to keep many employees on furlough.
Francis said the organization will bring the staff back as they are able to expand offerings.
Permission to reopen the gym came at a pivotal time for the Y. In March, the nonprofit suspended memberships for all members until October, a move that slashed six months of revenue and jeopardized the ability to provide services for families, senior and low-income New Yorkers.
In order to open, branches had to upgrade their air filtration, cap occupancy and facilitate social distancing.
Thus, members heading back to their Y can expect to experience some changes. Everyone in the building is required to wear masks at all times, complete a health screening and have their temperature checked before entering the building.
The physical layout of the Cross Island Y has also changed.
“We’ve worked diligently to space out our fitness equipment,” Francis said. “We turned off every other cardio machine, every other treadmill, every other fitness machine.”
Staff have also removed some equipment from the weight rooms and spaced the most popular items nine- to ten-feet apart.
And plan accordingly: Each branch closes daily from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to allow for deep cleaning. The branches are now closed all day on Fridays.
Francis said the extra precautions have allowed the Cross Island Y to reopen safely.
“We have floor markers, plexiglass up at the front desk,” she said. “We’re trying to create the most healthy environment.”
Full disclosure: Eagle managing editor David Brand previously worked for a YMCA branch.
