Free meals for kids in the summertime. Social groups for seniors. Swimming lessons for infants.
Those are just a few of the things the east side of Indianapolis stands to lose when the Harper J. Ransburg YMCA closes its doors on March 31.
“There is not an organization – an institution – out here that has the capacity to fill the hole that this Y is going to create,” Far Eastside Community Council president Samantha Douglas told the crowd gathered at Amazing Grace Christian Church on the evening of Thursday, March 26.
At the front of the room, 15 chairs reserved for members of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis’ board sat empty.
Brittani Howell, one of the organizers behind a grassroots effort to save the Ransburg, said it was the third time an invitation to a community town hall had gone unanswered by the nonprofit’s leadership.
“I guess we’ll just do it ourselves,” Howell said.
Ransburg has been a fixture of the east side for nearly seven decades. Catherine Lutholtz Bridge grew emotional as she described how her adult daughter learned to swim in its pool as a baby, and then spent her college summers as a lifeguard, where she developed the skills that would later carry forward into her teaching career.
In January, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis announced that the branch would close on March 31 because of financial problems. The news blindsided members, many of whom said they were unaware that the bustling facility was hurting for money. More than 2,000 people since have joined a Facebook group dedicated to saving the Ransburg.
With only days left before the pending closure, they’re not giving up. Douglas passed around a sign-up sheet for people interested in joining a committee that would discuss ways to continue using the building as a community space. Gary Moody sent a priority letter to the YMCA’s national headquarters. Marie Hintze plans to visit the city recorder’s office to unearth the original real estate documents, which might include a provision restricting using the building for anything other than a Y.
Sustaining Ransburg long-term would require at least $20 million, and an additional $5 million is needed for immediate maintenance, according to the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis. That investment, in Douglas’ eyes, would pay dividends in terms of public health and violence reduction, particularly for teens.
“They serve 2,000 kids. I don’t know if you guys know that. 2,000. I cannot think of a better investment than that,” she said.
Lifetime east side resident Jordan Rose said he spent many of his childhood and teenage years at Ransburg, and he’s worried about the possibility of increased violence when teens no longer have a place to go.
“It’s about to be summer. There’s gonna be a lot of idle hands,” Rose said.
The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis is in talks with Warren Township schools to provide programming after the building closes, advisory board member Craig Cordi said, but he wasn’t aware of anything definitive. The Far Eastside Community Council set up a table of fliers with upcoming youth events for attendees to peruse on their way out.
The community pushback is not only a response to Ransburg’s demise, but also to YMCA of Greater Indianapolis’ lack of transparency. Members of the Ransburg’s advisory board learned of the impending closure two days before the general public, and the future plans for the building are unclear.
Earlier on the morning of the town hall, organizers said the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis held a private meeting with elected officials to discuss the closure. IndyStar reached out to President and CEO Gregg Hiland for more information and received a response from Kirsten Eamon-Shine, the organization’s vice president of marketing and communications, who confirmed the meeting took place but did not respond when asked who was in attendance.
Eamon-Shine attached a copy of an open letter addressed to residents of the city’s east side, which said a task force comprised of YMCA staff, members and Ransburg advisory board personnel conducted “over 105 meetings with the community” over the past 18 months. They’d also facilitated multiple in-person focus groups, held an online survey and collaborated with local leaders, the letter said.
No one in attendance at the town hall recalled the community meetings or online survey. A woman who’d took part in a focus group said participants were asked about their vision for the future of Ransburg, but were not told that it would close. Vanessa Stiles, a longtime member of the Ransburg advisory board, said the 105 meetings were a reference to private meetings held by Ransburg’s director.
Eamon-Shine did not immediately respond to a request for comment about these claims.
“Please know that the YMCA remains committed to the Eastside and to the people who call it home,” the organization’s open letter read in part. “Our conversations about how we can continue to support this community will not end with the closure of the building.”
The Irsay Family YMCA at CityWay, Avondale Meadows YMCA and Benjamin Harrison YMCA are the closest branches to Ransburg. All are more than 7 miles away.
The Athenaeum Turner gym — itself formerly a Y — is offering Ransburg members two free months of membership, which can be claimed until May 5. Louella Quakenbush, the Athenaeum Turner’s membership manager, said she wanted to help because she understood the community’s loss. She worked for the Y for more than 24 years before departing the organization when it closed its Athenaeum location one year ago.
“It’s just the very same – the way that this had been laid out. Not a lot of answers,” Quakenbush said. “…My heart breaks for you.”
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Days from closure, Indy’s east side isn’t giving up the fight for YMCA
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
