Agreement reached to keep Sault Ste. Marie YMCA open past May 15

Facing imminent closure, a last-minute agreement has been reached to keep the YMCA in Sault Ste. Marie open.

“The YMCA has reached an agreement for a local charitable foundation to acquire its building at 235 McNabb St. in order to assist the YMCA in improving its cash flow and helping to sustain operations,” the city said in a news release Tuesday.

“The local charitable foundation has expressed a desire to remain anonymous at this time. The due diligence period for the agreement is taking place over the next 60 days and the previously announced closure date of May 15 is postponed until further notice.”

Plans are in place to resume, programming through the summer, including childcare operations, the city said.

City staff have been working with multiple community partners, including the local charitable foundation and the YMCA, through a working group focused on determining short and long-term plans for the Y.

The framework for the agreement contains a plan for continued operations of the YMCA over the next several years.

“However, for it to be finalized, commitments are needed from multiple stakeholders and the public,” the release said.

The YMCA announced last month that it was selling its building and ceasing operations May 15, citing the slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and increased operating costs. The loss of daycare services was of particular concern, along with the loss of Y programming.

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker welcomed the news that a way to keep the facility operating had been found.

“We have been working around the clock with our partners to develop and implement a plan to secure the future of the YMCA in Sault Ste. Marie,” Shoemaker said in the release.

“I know the tight timeline following the YMCA’s original announcement that operations would cease caused significant anxiety for community members, and I wanted to ensure we communicated an update to the public about the situation as soon as possible. We will continue to do so moving forward.”

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There will be a report on the May 13 city council agenda with details about the latest developments.

More information will be available when the agenda for the meeting is released on May 9.