Tuesday, May 10, 2005
A newer, larger pool will stay open.
WARREN -- The YWCA of Warren has a new executive director, Liz McMahon Wozniak, a Howland native who previously had been program manager with the Regional Chamber.
She started her new job April 20.
The YWCA is an international organization and is the oldest organization dedicated to empowering women, she said.
Although she said many people associate the YWCA with aspects of physical fitness, which it does offer, "it's the enrichment issues that we're really all about."
She comes aboard at a challenging time nationwide for YWCAs. They face increasing competition from health clubs, and other nonprofit organizations that sometimes compete for the same funding or donations.
Making decisions
Already Wozniak is faced with a financial decision that some of the membership is opposing.
The YWCA is closing one of its pools and adjoining facilities for the summer to stave off high utility costs and to perform needed maintenance.
Affected at month's end will be the original 1929 pool, a hot tub and sauna.
She explained that the older pool is a therapeutic pool and is kept heated to about 100 degrees. Its use in the summertime is not high, and it seemed to be a good time to perform maintenance and avoid $6,000 a month in gas and electric costs for constant filtering and heating, she said.
"It's just economic reality," she said. "It's about usage, and it's about how much money can you afford to put into it?"
The newer, larger pool there, which is heated, will stay open, Wozniak said.
She said the local YWCA is solvent, despite its belt-tightening, but noted YWCAs around the country are seriously challenged for dollars, and some have even closed.
Wozniak said the pool should be reopened around Labor Day. The YWCA's board members had wrestled with the warm pool issue for quite a while before deciding on the summer shutdown, she noted.