Greensburg YMCA extends management deal with Pittsburgh branch

The search for new leadership of the Greensburg YMCA will be suspended until at least next year as officials continue efforts to strengthen the financial health and operational structure at the downtown facility.

Board president Sydney Beeler confirmed this week that an agreement with the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA to serve as the facility’s interim leadership team has been extended through mid-2025.

“We’re holding steady where we are with our management agreement with the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA. They have bigger resources so we can continue to go forward after coming out of covid and moving on to being good, then great. We’ll see where we are when we get to July 2025,” Beeler said.

YMCA leadership in January forged a four-month deal with the Pittsburgh group oversee the facility as local officials worked to hire a new chief executive officer following the November resignation of Suzanne Pritz, who held the position since April 2020. Local officials at the time described the management pact with Pittsburgh as temporary.

Greater Pittsburgh YMCA CEO and President Amy Kienle will continue to serve at interim head of the Greensburg facility, Beeler said. Kienle has been CEO of the Pittsburgh Y since May of 2022.

The move comes as the Greensburg YMCA seeks to rebound from struggles attributed to the covid-19 pandemic. Membership declined by about 35% since January 2020, but has seen increases over the last four months and is currently more than 1,900, according to Director of Operations Christine Marquis.

“Covid was really hard for a nonprofit that is a social entity. We stayed open and we stayed alive. Now we have a chance to build from the ground up,” said Marquis, who was hired in September.

As part of that building program, the YMCA embarked on a $100,000 project to upgrade the facility’s exercise and weight rooms. Nearly two dozen new work-out machines, including treadmills, exercise bikes, stair climbers and free weights, were installed last week.

“We know we needed to do this for our members,” Marquis said. “We suffered over covid, but we are now growing by leaps and bounds.”

The YMCA took out a loan to pay for the project. Additional upgrades are planned such as replacements for the facility’s front doors at its Maple Street entrance as well as installation of new floor and ceiling tiles, Marquis said.

Those projects are expected to cost about $20,000. They’re expected to be paid for through fundraising efforts that will ramp up in June.

“Covid was a rocky time for the Greensburg Y, but we’re now out of that rockiness and we’re climbing. We’re healthy, we’re rebounding and hoping to attract new members by the investments we make,” Beeler said. “We’re very excited that we have the Pittsburgh Y leading us now.”