After six decades, the Bob Hayward YMCA will close its doors

It has been a staple in the east-end community for over six decades, but next month, the doors of the Bob Hayward YMCA will close for the last time.

"It's a shame to lose this, we don’t have a whole lot in this end of town, so yeah very disappointed," said YMCA member Bert Leblanc as he walked into the Bob to end his membership.

Leblanc is not alone. After the announcement was made public on social media Wednesday, many expressed their disappointment but say they saw this coming.

Andrew Lockie, the CEO of southwestern Ontario YMCA said the Bob has struggled financially due to a decline in membership, increased maintenance and utility costs for the aging facility, and it lost members after the pandemic and the closure of the pool.

"We did careful calculations and even with reopening the pool, and the cost that comes with that, it's about half a million dollars to operate that pool. We'd need to roughly triple our members and maybe more right now, which we know won’t happen, because we've operated with a pool before as well, and it just wasn't sustainable,” said Lockie.

The Y is working with current staff to help them find suitable roles and employment alternatives elsewhere within the organization.

For Eric Seed, the centre manager for the Bob Hawyard YMCA, it’s devastating news.

"Many fond memories as a child, I came here for swim lessons, lots of programs in the facility, in the gym, and my family has been involved with the Y for many years,” said Seed.

Current members can transfer their memberships to the Center Branch Y with full access to all amenities, including the pool. Their membership at Centre Branch will be free for the remainder of the year.

The Bob Hayward YMCA will close effective Nov. 24.