JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The YMCA at the Bank of America Tower in downtown Jacksonville will close at the end of next week.
In an announcement on its website, the organization said:
“The YMCA at the Bank of America Tower has been challenged with declining membership for several years and the COVID-19 pandemic just made it worse. While we are starting to see promising signs of employees returning to downtown Jacksonville, most are still working remotely. The majority of our YMCA at the Bank of America Tower members are choosing to visit Ys closer to home.”
Tim Burrows, the executive director of the Winston Family YMCA, told News4Jax on average only 10 to 20 people are visiting the location each day. The last day for members will be June 18.
“It was disappointing. Unfortunately, it was one of those decisions that had to be made,” said Burrows.
According to the Downtown Investment Authority, many employers are not requiring their employees to return to the office yet.
“We are told some of them will be returning in the fall and others have set Jan. 1 as a date and so I expect to see that returning through the remainder of ’21 but we are certainly not back to pre-pandemic levels when you look at the number of people on the sidewalk at lunchtime,” said Lori Boyer, CEO of Downtown Investment Authority.
Burrows said as more people start to come back to the downtown area, he hopes the Y will also return. in the meantime, Burrows said the equipment at the Y in the Bank of America Tower will likely go to other Y locations.
“It was one of those things where it’s goodbye for now, but not forever,” said Burrows.
For membership and transition information, visit the YMCA at the Bank of America Tower page.