Local YMCA dues some of the highest in the country

MR. WATCHDOG
Charlotte Y fees higher than some
ANDREW SHAIN




Andrew Shain


Face it, this month if you're not going to a gym, you're thinking you ought to go to one.

And for many in Charlotte, that means going to the YMCA.

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte had the nation's seventh-highest number of members and program participants in 2002 despite being in the 34th-biggest metro area.

But when it comes to price, the Charlotte Y is not a bargain compared with chapters in comparable or larger cities.

The Charlotte Y charges monthly dues more than or about the same as associations in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Atlanta and Norfolk, Va.

Annual fees to use the 14 YMCAs in Mecklenburg, Union, Lincoln or south Iredell counties are $720 for adults and $1,020 for a family.

The Metro Atlanta YMCA charges $576 for an adult and $864 for a family to use 18 locations, while the YMCA in the Norfolk area charges $588 and $828 for 13 locations.

Four of five Charlotte-area health clubs polled in an informal survey also offered less expensive memberships than the YMCA. They were Bally Total Fitness, The Fitness Factory, Gold's Gym and Nautilus Fitness Center.

The YMCA rates don't include one-time joining fees used to cover costs of buying new equipment and maintaining the facilities. The Charlotte Y charges $100 for adults and $150 for a family, which is similar to fees in most other cities. Still, a few Ys charge less, including $35 in Phoenix, $49 in Denver and $79 in Minneapolis. Comparisons with YMCA systems in other communities are difficult, a Charlotte Y official said. The YMCA corporate office doesn't track chapter fees for the same reason.

"Rates are not based on the size of the city, but on the Y associations of the city," Charlotte YMCA spokeswoman Melanie Pittman said. "It's the quality of our program and facilities."

State-of-the-art exercise equipment, certification for day camps, defibrillators at each branch location and nurses at branches at most times are some of the extras the Charlotte Y offers, Pittman said. The YMCA also has plans to open two more branches.

Lee Blackman wanted to rejoin the YMCA in Charlotte this month where she had been a member most of the seven years she's lived in the city. The architect took a pass after seeing the annual dues. She said the Charlotte Y charges more than chapters in other cities she's visited that have nicer amenities, such as free bottled water and better track lighting.

"They have a lot of nerve," Blackman said. "I won't join the Y ever again because I think it's a rip-off."

The Charlotte Y says most of its members are happy.

Membership grew 40 percent during the past four years to 165,000, and its retention rate is higher than the national average, Pittman said

And a survey conducted last year said 96 percent of respondents thought that they were getting a reasonable value for the money.

 

"quality of programs and facilities" BS. those damn outdoor water parks are expensive.

"state of the art equipment" where? all the shit I see is old.

 

When I lived in Charlotte I was a member of the Harris YMCA. My dues were $15 a month. That was 2 yrs ago. Check their financial add packages. I think it's call The Pathways Program. I was extremely pleased.

I wish I had something like that here in Raleigh.

 

Screw the Y. I had a bad experience with them and won't be a member again.

 

They're building a new one here in Mooresville, Lowes is a major contributor. My dues went up $3.00/mon. ($14.00 a month) this year but I got a local government employee deal. I'll be willing to bet that the new place is gonna be more expensive. I hope that they keep the old one open still. It's not all that but its close to the rock pile and the grocery store. Life is good.

 

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