Murfreesboro YMCA to close in August

MURFREESBORO – The Rutherford County Family YMCA in Murfreesboro is closing Aug. 7, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee confirmed.

"We are going to continue to serve the Murfreesboro area just outside the walls of the facility," said Dan Dummermuth, president and CEO of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee.

The closure is "part of efforts to ensure the nonprofit's long-term fiscal strength system wide," said Jessica Fain, public information officer for YMCA of Middle Tennessee. It follows recent restructuring throughout the Y's Middle Tennessee properties that included the closing of five other locations since 2013.

The YMCA sent an email to its members late Thursday informing them of the closure.

The North Rutherford Y in Smyrna will remain open, Fain said, adding many of Murfreesboro community programs will continue off site.

"The Y will continue to offer youth sports, summer day camp, After Breast Cancer and Small Group Ministries in Murfreesboro, and all YMCA Fun Company before- and after-school care sites will also continue to provide services for hundreds of children at local schools," she said.

Fain said Fun Company will continue to run out of schools and a community partner is being sought for the ABC group.

Members at the location will receive a complimentary membership to use at any other YMCA location through Aug. 31, at which time they will have the option of transferring their memberships to another location.

Dummermuth said the property at 205 N. Thompson Lane will be placed for sale.

"We couldn't have predicted 20 years ago where residential growth would go, and North Thompson Lane certainly wasn't the commercial corridor it is today," Chief Operating Officer Bob Knestrick said.

"We're open to exploring potential alternate locations in the future," Knestrick added.

The YMCA of Middle Tennessee has been trying to right its ship since 2013, when the nonprofit lost $8.6 million, according to the Y's 2014 IRS filings. Specifically, The Y took in $90.7 million but spent $97.37 million in expenses, leading to an operating loss of $6.6 million.

YMCA of Middle Tennessee's revenue fell by just under $1 million, marking the second straight year of declines on a "same-store" basis. Overall, revenue fell $430,000 in 2014.

According to the report, net membership per household has declined over the midstate while contributions, grants and program revenue also declined. In 2014, the Middle Tennessee Y spent 86.5 percent of its budget on program services, 11.6 percent on administrative and 1.9 percent on fundraising.

The regional nonprofit formed a joint staff and volunteer task force to look at operations and whether the Y is taxing its financial sustainability.

The task force's findings led to reduced staffing, centralized supply purchasing and the closing of six facilities: Maury County, Cool Springs, Oakland, Mt. Juliet, Harding Place in Nashville and the North Clarksville YMCA.

Even with the closures, the 140-year-old nonprofit operates 16 family wellness centers that serve nearly 85,000 households across Middle Tennessee, officials said. The closure of the Rutherford County facility affects about 4,400 households.

"While discontinuing any operation is never easy," Dummermuth said, "we do believe these outcomes reflect the thoughtful and strategic approach taken with every difficult decision we've made. The changes ensure we're continuing to steward our resources responsibly."

Dummermuth said the organization delayed a decision on the Murfreesboro facility to allow staff and volunteers more time to consider all potential options for continued operation. The Murfreesboro location has incurred losses averaging in excess of $300,000 annually.

"Over the past several months we've considered collaborations with potential partners in the private and public sector who we hoped could help us find a way to keep the facility open to the public, and we regret that those efforts did not ultimately produce a sustainable solution," Dummermuth said.

He attributed the operating losses to the facility's location on Thompson Lane, adding the Y hasn't given up on Murfreesboro, just the current location.

Contact Michelle Willard at 615-278-5164 and on Twitter @MichWillard.