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By CHRIS BJORKE cbjorke@leader.net
 Saturday, January 12, 2002 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





WILKES-BARRE - Sheets of Styrofoam cover the windows in Jim Thomas' YMCA
office, muffling the sound of workers building a new wheelchair ramp. From
other parts of the building come the constant buzz of saws and drills and the
clank and bang of construction. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I don't think you ever get used to that in the background, but I'll be
glad when it stops,'' said Thomas, the Y's executive director. The facility's
staff and members have lived amid the construction and demolition for the past
year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To take advantage of people who made New Year's resolutions to get fit, the
YMCA will host a grand reopening in February to introduce the public to a new
pool, gym, fitness center, and men's and women's health centers. The ceremony
date has not been set. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The $5 million project renovated 80 percent of the building and added an
annex that houses a six-lane, 25-yard swimming pool and a gym on the floor
above. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The renovation and expansion allows the YMCA to expand its services for a
changing membership public and provide more space for its facilities, which
had become cramped in the 1930s-era building. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The members had to be patient,'' Thomas said. ``Because of the magnitude
of the project, it impacted everyone who was a member in some way, shape or
form.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Interesting contrasts between old and new pop up throughout the YMCA.
Ornate plaster door frames and elegant wall tiles flow into newly renovated
hallways. Santa Claus greets kids in the nursery while adults pass by on the
way to their workouts. Construction supplies are piled next to tidy new
exercise areas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the Y's new fifth-floor wellness center, members work out on treadmills
with control panels that look like they belong on a movie spaceship. The open
ceiling exposes steel support beams and some of the original red brick
architecture of the building. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The wellness center, which used to be a storage area, includes new exercise
and elliptical machines and a spinning room. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Plus the view is amazing,'' said Membership Director Pam Schultz. The
exercise room has two long walls of windows looking north along Franklin
Street and west toward the river. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stacks of Sheetrock and bags of plaster still clutter the new pool and gym
areas, which are scheduled to be finished at the end of January. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The competition-size pool will complement the Y's old four-lane pool. The
new pool is designed for events and lap swimming. The old pool will be kept at
a warmer temperature and reserved for seniors, learners and other casual
swimmers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The new gym will replace the Y's two old gyms, which predate the days of
organized youth teams and were not designed to hold seating. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The kids can play, but Mom and Dad can't observe what's going on,''
Schultz said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One of the old gyms has been converted into a gymnastics area, while the
other will still be used for basketball and other sports. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the basement, locker rooms were expanded into fitness centers. No longer
just places to change clothes and shower, the fitness centers include saunas
and whirlpools as well as places to sit, read, watch TV or play billiards. The
women's fitness center also sports 38 large varnished-wood lockers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The renovation included some challenges, Thomas said. The solid,
concrete-and-brick structure of the building made installation of new
mechanical and air systems difficult. The artistic flourishes and historic
features of the original design also had to be preserved. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Any place where there was something of a historic nature, we tried to
protect that,'' Thomas said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Once renovations are complete, the Y will be able to accommodate about
9,000 new members, said Thomas, who hopes the new facilities will attract
people. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One thing that drove the renovation and addition was the need to reshape
the building to serve a different clientele than the one it had when it was
built to house transient workers and as a place for men to practice sports. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Back in the '30s, when the building was built, it was mainly for group
exercise'' such as basketball, volleyball and calisthenics, Thomas said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The YMCA merged with the YWCA to create the Family YMCA in the 1970s and
serve a wider range of needs. During the years, the Y had to find ways to
accommodate younger patrons, provide day care and kindergarten for parents and
fit new types of exercise in a limited space. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I think it's a credit to the community ... that they've been able to make
adaptations to the facility to meet the needs of those generations of
people,'' Thomas said. ``That's been the key to the Y, that we've been able to
adapt.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Chris Bjorke, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7139. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ymca Plans Grand Reopening To Mark Face Lift Major $5 Million Project Expands, Adds Services