YMCA's Last Day Is Saturday, Before Building Becomes Wayne Community Center

WAYNE, NJ — The YMCA will stop operating in Wayne after closing time on Saturday, and the building will reopen as a new township community center on Sunday.

The Y will be open as usual from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and said that all regular classes will take place. The next day, the township Parks and Recreation department will take over running the building, with hours set from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Memberships will be available in-person at the new community center (1 Pike Drive) when it opens on Sunday, Nov. 3. There are two different tiers of membership (Standard and Premium), and different price points for non-Wayne residents. You can see the list of membership fees, plus the prices for facility rentals, here.

Class sign-ups are also available on the township's online activity registration portal for many exercise programs.

Normal hours for the community center will be as follows, according to township documents:

• Monday - Friday: 6am - 10pm
• Saturday: 7am - 6pm
• Sunday: 7am - 3pm

In a statement, the Wayne YMCA team acknowledged its employees for their dedication during the transition period of the past few months.

"We extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our employees and volunteers, members, community partners, and everyone who has supported our mission and helped contribute to our legacy," the Wayne Y team said. "We are proud to have served you and this vibrant community."

Wayne Township officially purchased the property in late August, and Mayor Chris Vergano said many staff members would be offered a job working at the Wayne Community Center. The $12.2 million purchase is funded by the township's Open Space Trust Fund, which is a tax that residents already pay in to.

The building was first constructed in 1975, according to township tax records. It originally was a community center for the Young Mens and Young Womens Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA) of North Jersey, which included Jewish and non-Jewish members alike.

In 2011, The Metro YMCA of the Oranges took over operations of the building, and it became the Wayne YMCA. The Metro Y of the Oranges exercised the right to purchase the building earlier this year and met with the township to discuss the facility's future in March. Officials saw an opportunity to buy the 145,904-square-foot property for a community center, after thinking about knocking down the existing building at Captain Kilroy Park to build a new recreation space.

For more information on the community center, click here.

Past coverage —

• Membership Applications Open For New Wayne Community Center
• Wayne Tweaks Fees For New Rec Center, After Resident Notes Possible Constitutional Issue
• $12.2M YMCA Purchase Approved; Wayne Considers Background Checks For Parks Employees
• Some Wayne YMCA Members Share Concerns About Township Buying Property
• $12.2M Agreement Proposed For Township To Purchase Wayne YMCA