August 21, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Germantown Y devastated by flood; seeks assistance in reopening
by PETE MAZZACCARO

Flood damaged much of the Germantown YMCA. (Photo by Erin Vertreace)

Manuel Ayala, CEO of the Germantown YMCA, stood in an empty room of the Y’s Greene Street facility. Around him are darkened rooms, stripped of carpeting and littered with water-damaged furniture. The bottom 12 inches of nearly every wall has been removed, exposing studs and old wiring.

“You hear that?” he asked, pausing a moment to take in the quiet. “It’s silent. This is a YMCA. It’s very disconcerting

Ayala, who just became the director of the Germantown YMCA last year, is now faced with what may be the center’s greatest challenge since its quarters were built in 1927. During a thunderstorm in late July, a lightning strike caused the building’s power systems to surge, setting off the building’s sprinkler system. Then a pipe that was part of the sprinkler system burst during the early morning hours and wasn’t discovered until an employee opened the building.

Ayala is reluctant to offer a theory about what happened and said the circumstances are still unclear. Insurance investigators are appraising the damage.

What is clear is that flooding from the single pipe — less than an inch of water — was all it took to ravage the Y, halting its ability to host any of its fitness programs and child care/day camp activities. Ayala said the Y quickly found alternative locations for its summer camp programs, including area recreation centers, libraries and La Salle University — kids enrolled in that program were playing in Vernon Park, across Greene Street from the Y, on a recent visit.

“When something like this happens, you really learn who your friends are,” Ayala said.

The Germantown Y was in the middle of a real resurgence under Ayala’s leadership. When he took over in September of 2007, 1,000 people were members. Before the flooding, Ayala said the membership had swelled to 6,000. His staff had recently repainted rooms and cleaned floors, work that was largely ruined by the flooding.

Now, although he’s frustrated with the uncertainty — he has no idea when the damage can be repaired and the Y reopened — he is most concerned with not losing ground.

“Right now our members can use facilities at any YMCA of Philadelphia and vicinity,” he said. “They can go to Abington or Roxborough…… We need to keep our members as encouraged as possible. The question is, ‘will those people come back [to Germantown]’?”

The concern is a good one. Almost every part of the Y was affected by the flood. All of its exercise facilities are inoperable, including three large racquetball courts and an 18,500-gallon swimming pool that had to be drained.

Miraculously, the part of the center used for a housing program for men was unharmed. The Germantown Y currently houses 128 men who could have lost their homes had the damage been more extensive.

Beyond the extent of damage to the Y’s members, the flood also affected the Y’s ability to employ people in the community. Ayala said many jobs are on hold while the damage is assessed and then repaired.

“By that point many people we trained may be gone, having found other jobs,” he said.

Despite these obstacles, Ayala remains optimistic, saying he believes there is a chance that the Y could reopen in better shape than before the flood.

“I have to be,” he says. There’s an entire community depending on us. Kids need this place. If we’re not here, what choices do they have?”