The Kroehler Family YMCA is closing its door due to financial hardships.
Reasons For The Closing
The facility has been operating at a loss for many years, mainly due to maintaining the 100-year-old building, declining membership and program enrollment. Couple that with the financial stress caused by COVID-19 it was the tipping point for the business.
“It was just getting to the point where it was taking dollars that would normally be used for mission work of the “Y” to just keep it operational,” said board member of the YMCA’s in Naperville and Metro Chicago Tom Miers. “It was one of those decisions that was obviously going to happen at one point and with the COVID-19 and all the other financial stresses on the “Y” in Metro Chicago it was the right time.”
With YMCA facilities being closed since March because of COVID-19, and other factors, the nonprofit stands to lose millions of dollars.
The Legacy Of Kroehler Y
Named after former Naperville mayor and businessman Peter Kroehler, the Kroehler Family YMCA has been a staple in the city for over 100 years.
“It’s served thousands of families over the years,” said Tom Crowley Board Chairman Naperville YMCA’s. “It’s a sad day that it’s closing, but it’s also a day that should be celebrate because the YMCA continues to today, and has in the past, given so much back to the community.”
Before there was ever a park district in Naperville, the Kroehler Family YMCA served as a community hub for Naperville residents throughout its long life.
“The Y was really the recreational hub for the community. And that was the purpose of building that building in 1910. A lot happen there,” said Miers. “A lot of people learned how to swim there. The pool in that building was the first pool in DuPage County. It was a “Y” that the National “Y” said that you could never build it because the community is not big enough there’s a lot of history there.”
Going Forward
The hope is to keep some of it by working with Naper Settlement and preserving some of the building’s history.
Though the Kroehler Family YMCA is closing, Naperville is still home to the Fry Family YMCA. Members whose accounts are in good standing can get a three-month complimentary membership upon the reopening of the facility, which Miers said will hopefully be sometime in July.
In addition to the Kroehler, two other YMCAs will close effective June1, the Latt of YMCA in Des Plaines, and the Leaning Tower YMCA in Niles.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports
If you have a story idea or news tip you want to share, we want to hear from you!
