Birmingham ― Plans to create a new senior services building in a longtime YMCA facility in Birmingham are moving forward as the Y prepares to vacate the structure at the end of the month and merge with another facility.
The Birmingham Family YMCA will cease its operations at the end of April in its building at 400 East Lincoln Street and Next, a nonprofit that provides senior services for four communities, is slated to move into the building in May 2027. Next serves seniors in Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin.
Bob Kuhn, who has been going to the Birmingham Y for six months, said the facility has helped him manage his diabetes.
“I wish they wouldn’t close it,” said Kuhn, 67, adding that he wishes “they changed their mind.”
Jackie Kippen, acting executive director for the Birmingham Y, said the YMCA sold the building to the city in 2023 and agreed to lease it through August 2026. The sale came after a couple of years of “mounting deferred maintenance” and the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a “financial hardship” for the Y, she said. Kippen said that since 2023, the YMCA has had conversations about collaborating with Next and the city.
“And unfortunately, none of those collaborations really panned out. … Nothing really made sense from a financial standpoint,” she said.
Birmingham Assistant City Manager Mark Clemence said in an email that the city explored ways to keep the YMCA in Birmingham, but it could not afford to cover all of the capital improvements needed for the Y to continue operations. He said state law also doesn’t allow the city to financially support private nonprofits.
Kippen said the Birmingham Family YMCA will still run its summer camp from June 15 to August 21, but its building will be closed to members at the end of April.
Kippen said the Birmingham Y has been at 400 E. Lincoln for about 70 years. She shared that members are “very sad” that their YMCA is closing.
“There is a really strong community here at the Birmingham Y,” she said, “and when you have 70 years of friendship and community, it’s … a hard thing to take.”
Financial issues
Kippen said that during the pandemic, the YMCA was closed and allowed its members to choose whether to continue paying dues.
“We took a significant financial hit due to the pandemic,” she said.
Kippen also said that 400 E. Lincoln is “a bit dated” and is in need of maintenance, including a new roof.
Birmingham Mayor Clinton Baller said at a City Commission meeting in January that the YMCA sold its building to the city several years ago because it faced insolvency.
“It needed fast cash and intended to move out and consolidate its operations in Royal Oak,” he said, referring to the South Oakland Family YMCA in Royal Oak.
But Kippen said it wasn’t the YMCA’s intention to consolidate operations when it sold the building.
“We weren’t able to really pour into the building in the way that was meaningful to our members, and so we had to make some financial decisions,” she said.
She said there’s “no hard feelings” with the city or Next.
“It just panned out this way in terms of business decisions, really,” she said.
Kippen said the Birmingham YMCA had 1,599 membership units (or households) on Jan. 1. She noted that 493 of those units have transferred to other YMCA locations as of Wednesday. The majority of those transferring are going to the South Oakland Family YMCA in Royal Oak.
She said the YMCA has been “very clear” with its staff that anyone who wanted to continue working for the Y could do so at another location.
YMCA members on closure
Kuhn, who is a diabetic and a resident of Royal Oak, said his A1C was “very high” six months ago, and then he started going to the Birmingham Y. An A1C test measures the average amount of sugar in your blood over the last few months, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Kuhn spends at least 60 minutes on a bike and about 40 minutes lifting weights at the Y, and he noted that his A1C “really came down to a good level.”
His A1C recently went up a bit, so he needs to keep up with his exercise routine and diet, he said.
“But this place is wonderful,” said Kuhn of the Birmingham Y.
John Dorr, 79, a Beverly Hills resident, said he has been going to the Birmingham Y for decades. He plays basketball and works out.
“I think everybody’s a little bummed about it,” he said of the closure.
City to renovate building for Next’s use
Clemence said that on Jan. 26, the Birmingham City Commission voted to proceed under the terms of a May 2023 Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Next. The agreement supports Next moving into 400 East Lincoln in May 2027 by funding renovations, upgrades and cosmetic improvements to the existing structure.
Birmingham voters approved a 0.33-mill senior millage in November 2023 for a period of three years ― July 2024 through June 2027 ― for the purpose of renovating the building for Next’s use. The city purchased 400 East Lincoln in 2023 to serve as Next’s permanent home.
Clemence said the city will rehab the first floor of the building and will consider other options for the building’s pool area, locker rooms and second floor at a later time.
The first floor will be home to Next’s administrative offices, a lobby area, art studio, fitness room, multiple purpose rooms, a full gymnasium and other amenities, he said.
Cris Braun, the executive director of Next, said Next’s membership has “really taken off” over the past several years, so it has needed more space. Next shares its current building with a preschool, and Birmingham Public Schools would like to expand the preschool into Next’s space, she said.
Braun said the 400 East Lincoln building backs up to a park that’s being updated. She said Next is hoping to incorporate some “senior-friendly amenities” in the park.
“The space itself that we’re going to be moving into ― which is just the first floor right now ― is not dramatically different than what we currently have as far as square footage, but the advantage would be having dedicated space,” she said.
Kippen, meanwhile, said that just because the YMCA is leaving Lincoln Street doesn’t mean that it’s “leaving Birmingham.” She said the Y is interested in continuing to run a day camp in Birmingham.
“The Y itself was operating in Birmingham before we moved into the 400 East Lincoln location,” she said, “and we’ll continue to do so after through programs like our day camp.”
asnabes@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Birmingham Family YMCA will close at the end of April
Reporting by Anne Snabes, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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