Cheyenne Family YMCA To Close Indefinitely On Sept. 26

The Cheyenne Family YMCA will suspend operations "indefinitely" on Sept. 26, according to an email to Y members on Monday.

The email did not use the word ''permanently." It does say "We are hopeful that there will be an investor or community partner who has the capital and heart to keep the facility as a recreation center for the residents of Cheyenne."

Starting on Sept. 16, the facility will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. weekdays, and closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Email Cites Lack Of Membership, Inadequate Donations

The email, from Chris Coker, CEO of the YMCA of Northern Colorado, included the following

"We know that this decision will cause a lot of stress and frustration. Millions of dollars have been invested in the aging facility and programs in recent years with the goal to ensure that the Cheyenne community continues to have a Y. Still, the Y sees low utilization—lack of membership and program participation—and inadequate community investment and donations, creating an insurmountable barrier for the Y’s sustainability. Recent large donations have only helped fund emergency facility repairs and temporarily prop up operations. 

Y leadership has appealed to private foundations and federal, state and local government partners to save the Y; these efforts have been unsuccessful."

According to the Cheyenne Family YMCA website, the facility first opened in 1958. Expansions were implemented in the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s.

In August of 2024 the Y announced that the facility's swimming pool would be closing. But the following month the Y said it would reopen the pool due to a donation from the Maury&Bonnie Brown Foundation.

The email says membership cancellations and program refunds will be processed for those impacted.