After years of looking for ways to grow its footprint inside the city, Concord YMCA has expanded throughout the state. As of June 1, it is now part of the five-city Granite YMCA.
Concord YMCA members can now use facilities at the Granite YMCAs in Manchester, Portsmouth, Rochester, Goffstown and Londonderry.
“A year ago, Concord YMCA and Granite YMCA met together to discuss whether integration would be a good idea,” said David Ports, president & CEO of the Granite YMCA. “An integration team made up of board members and staff … decided this would be a stronger Y if they joined together.”
There will be no immediate change to fees, said Ports. Concord YMCA charges $84.50 a month for a family membership, its most expensive, and less for pairs, individuals or youths. Manchester-area Granite YMCA charges $78 for a family membership while Seacoast YMCAs charges $70. They all offer income-related discounts.
The move comes as Jim Doremus retires after 12 years as executive director of Concord YMCA. He is followed by Alex Turek, who was recently executive director of the Merrimack Valley YMCA and CEO of the Southern District YMCA.
“The Granite Y is committed to always finding the best way to serve Concord and surrounding communities,” Turek said. “We recognize the importance of investing time and resources into providing compelling, contemporary, sustainable, and highly performing Y centers.”
Ports described the merger as Granite YMCA assuming the assets and the liabilities of the Concord YMCA. He said “99%” of staff would stay in Concord. The process of integrating systems for such back office operations as billing and membership is underway, Ports said. “Our goal is to ensure that the transition for the Concord staff team is seamless.”
Ports said Granite YMCA had a pre-COVID annual operating budget of around $20 million, compared to a budget of about $3 million for the Concord YMCA. All told, about 25,000 people are members of Granite YMCA and another 10,000 or so participate in at least one of its programs.
Concord YMCA has 1,788 members currently, a number that has declined during the pandemic but appears to be rebounding, officials said.
The Concord YMCA has long wanted to expand beyond its 15 N. State St. facilities and has discussed various options, including building a new YMCA location as part of the plan to replace and rebuild Rundlett Middle School.
The city’s YMCA was established in 1852, making it the sixth-oldest in the country. That was two years before the start of the Greater Manchester YMCA, which over the past 30 years has grown into Granite YMCA.
In 1905, Concord YMCA moved into its current downtown site. The large front addition was built in 1966 and enlarged a few decades later.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)
