Improvements are coming to the Atmore Area YMCA and the work taking place will force the facility to close down for eight days.

The YMCA will close noon on Friday and remain closed until Jan. 3 when the work is expected to be complete.

New flooring, lights and paint will be done during the holidays to bring some new life into the interior of the building after so much has been completed to the exterior.

The bulk of the work will be the addition of new paint and installation of new floor in the fitness center and weight room to give the room a nicer look, while adding safety, Atmore Area YMCA manager Ross Terry said.

“We are taking up floor in the fitness center and weight room and going to lay down a new floor,” he said. “The new floor will be glued down, which should make things nicer and safer. The current floor consists of the rubber mats that connect, which can pop and create problems. The new floor will stay down with the glue and look much nicer. The room will also be painted before the floor is put down and that will begin on Christmas Eve.”

The new flooring in each room will come with improvements that will help the rooms and members in the long run.
Positives of the flooring include the minimization of damage and reduced odor, Terry said.

“In the weight room, we are putting down a mat that will actually cushion the floor in case weights are dropped,” he said. “In the fitness center, it won’t stink or anything and it won’t seams so that dirt can’t get down into the cracks.”

Along with the paint and flooring, the gym will receive an upgrade in lights that could help save money.

The bulbs of the current lights are expensive and often don’t last long due to the vibration or contact with basketballs, Terry said.

“We are also putting in new lights in the gym,” he said. “The bulbs in the lights we have now keep blowing or busting due to the bouncing of basketballs. The new lights will be less expensive and more energy efficient. They also have a cage on them in case a basketball somehow gets up that high.”

With the Y closing Friday and remaining closed, the staff at the YMCA wants members to know they are doing this with their interest at heart.

Members are asked to be “patient” during this time, Terry said.

“All we can say is stop by and see the work we are doing. We just want our members to be patient, while we make these improvements to benefit everyone involved with the Y.”

For more information about the improvements going on at the Atmore Area YMCA contact the staff at 368-9622.