YAKIMA, Wash. – The new YMCA and Yakima Rotary Aquatic Center held a ribbon cutting Monday, followed by an open house for community members.
The expansive facility at the former site of Chesterley Park — near 40th Avenue and Powerhouse Road — includes a pool, lazy river, water play area, water slides and two saunas.
“[The] aquatics features … are really second to none in the Northwest,” Yakima YMCA Executive Director Bob Romero said.
The project broke ground in May 2018 and has been in the works for the past seven years, Romero said.
“We’re really excited about this facility,” Romero said.
The current YMCA location in downtown Yakima will remain open. Those who already have a membership at that location will be able to use it at the new location for no extra charge.
“Chesterley gives us an opportunity to be one ‘Y’ with two locations and serve more people in our community,” Romero said.
The new center also has a full fitness studio, indoor track, basketball court, an entire floor of fitness equipment.
Other amenities include two full locker rooms. No locks are required for the lockers: you punch in a personalized code to lock it and use the same code to unlock it.
The locker rooms also have a device to dry swimsuits; pop your suit in, hold the lid for 10 seconds and pull it out mostly dry. Smaller, private locker rooms allow families or persons with disabilities to have privacy.
“We’re very excited about what we have to offer people,” Romero said.
The center includes a childcare area, where parents can pay $5 per child per visit to drop off kids six weeks old to six years old for up to two hours while they work out. For older kids — six to 15 — there’s a drop-in after-school program in the youth room.
Aquatics classes, such as Aqua Zumba, are scheduled to start Thursday. Most fitness classes will start Monday, with the exception of Pilates, which starts Nov. 26.
Starting Thursday, the center is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
For information on membership or day pass rates, click here.
For information on class schedules or hours, click here.
