Bayouland YMCA reopens after 3 months

After shutting its doors for three months to deal with the aftereffects of Hurricane Gustav, the Bayouland YMCA reopened most of its services at the Valhi Boulevard facility Monday.

The pool remains closed for at least another two weeks. Officials at the YMCA said the building that holds the pool sustained damage and the supplies to repair it have yet to arrive.

It also has to be repainted and reheated before being opened to members.

Bayouland YMCA CEO Angi Falgoust said the staff is finally reaping the rewards from three months of cleaning and repairing the site – not to mention the hardship of temporarily relocating equipment to the former Southern Elegance building on St. Charles Street to provide members a workout outlet.

“It’s like an entire new facility,” Falgoust said of the Valhi Boulevard facility. “When members walk through this door, if they’ve ever been here before, no one will think it’s the same facility. We know people will be impressed.”

The renovated facility has all-new flooring, new doors, two new and two repaired roofs and refinished ceilings. A new pool deck is also in the works, she said.

The site also sports new, state-of-the-art equipment.

“All of our cardio equipment has personal LCD, cable-ready TV screens,” Falgoust said. “We have a brand new spin bike room that we didn’t have before.”

The repairs also enabled Falgoust to add a new ladies’ workout room.

“It’s actually a circuit area so the ladies can work out on weights without feeling intimidated with a weight room full of men,” she explained.

The Bayouland YMCA has undergone a huge transformation, Falgoust said. Just days after Gustav ravaged the area, the CEO was camping in her trailer in the facility’s parking lot.

“I camped out until the electricity got turned back on to make sure no one could get into the pool and drown,” she explained. “It was not a safe environment. I was back here on the Thursday following the storm (which made landfall Monday).

“I don’t feel like we’ve left since then,” she added.

Since Sept. 5, Falgoust said crews have been working nearly 12 hours a day to get the facility on Valhi Boulevard operational.

The total cost for repairs was between $1.2 and $1.3 million, most of which was covered by the insurance policy, Falgoust said.

Roughly 85 percent of the building suffered heavy wind and water damage. Most of the destruction occurred to two of the facility’s four roofs: one covering the lobby and the other covering the workout area and locker rooms.

Falgoust also said that roofs covering the basketball gym and swimming pool were damaged, and the glass around the swimming pool was completely blown out. The concession area, storage sheds, two air conditioners, two saunas, fencing and landscaping were also damaged.

Water also damaged the main lobby, and the facility lost all of its computers and main files attached. Membership data is safe since that information was backed up prior to the storm.

While the Bayouland YMCA’s home site has been under repair, members haven’t been charged dues. The organization would have netted roughly $10,000 between the Sept. 1 closure and Monday’s reopening, Falgoust said.

Other clubs, such as the Renaissance Health & Racquet Club and the Quality Hotel, allowed YMCA members to use their facilities, according to Falgoust.

While she is grateful, Falgoust said the club couldn’t wait to get all of its members back.

“We’re in dire straits, trying to get our members back here because our dues are what keep us afloat,” she admitted. “We don’t get outside funding. We’ve pretty much gone through our reserves trying to get our facility back in order. It’s time to open the doors to get the funding flowing.”

Once the facility is completely operational again, a reopening ceremony is in the works. “But that,” Falgoust said, “won’t be until the time is right.”