Downtown Warsaw YMCA with 24/7 access set to open Monday

Renovations have transformed the old Madison Elementary gym into a neighborhood Y, marking the 17th in the state to offer continuous opportunities to use the facility, according to Benjamin Keffer, director of marketing and fund development for Kosciusko Community YMCA.

The building will be staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and will be accessible to YMCA members with a designated 24/7 pass any time of day.

Keffer said the building is designed with a bevy of safeguards, including security cameras everywhere except in the bathrooms and showers.

Only YMCA members with 24/7 access will be allowed in after hours.

“We’ll see your face when you scan in so we can make sure that it’s actually you and not you let your friend borrow your card kind-of-thing,” Keffer said.

“We want to make sure people feel safe and are safe, and the flip side of that is that only YMCA members with 24 access are able to get into the building after staffed hours,” he said.

Those with 24/7 access will be able to use the upper level which includes a fitness room with weight machines, free weights, cardio machines and private locker rooms.

The lower level, which includes a gym with basketball courts, pickleball courts, volleyball courts and a fitness room, will not be open 24/7, but Keffer said they will consider expanding access after assessing traffic patterns.

The YMCA is already seeing some demand for the new location.

“We’ve had quite a few people add 24/7 to their memberships and there’s a lot of people who are clamoring to get in there and check out the facility and get signed up,” he said.

Kosciusko County Council provided $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support renovations.

The new facility is on the very west end of Fort Wayne Street and is adjacent to a new residential dedvelopment, Gateway Grove.

The address is 575 W. Fort Wayne St.

A grand opening ceremony will be held at a later time, he said.