YMCA to proceed with renovations despite protests

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said the YMCA would be closing the town’s only public racquetball courts. They are not public courts as a membership fee is required for access to the courts. The story has been changed to reflect this.

Local residents upset about the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA’s decision to remove its racquetball courts won’t be putting down their rackets — or their picket signs — anytime soon.

After the YMCA decided to remove the courts to increase the area of the fitness floor, devoted racquetball and handball players like Chapel Hill resident Bob Epting began actively picketing the YMCA on Feb. 8.

“Why the Y staff would favor one group over another to create wider aisles or put more machines in for the existing users while telling the court users to go somewhere else is mystifying,” Epting said.

He wrote a letter to the YMCA Board of Directors and created an online petition against the YMCA’s decision to close the racquetball courts. The petition has garnered more than 200 signatures.

Dabney Grinnan, chairwoman of the YMCA’s Board of Directors, said the organization is doing what is best for the majority of its members.

“The Y is moving forward in its strategic plan to improve the facility, and part of that is renovating our fitness floor,” she said.

Grinnan said a recent survey of YMCA members found that 45 percent were unhappy with the facility — especially the lack of space and long waits for equipment.

“We embarked on a strategic planning process starting two years ago, and we looked at lots of ways on how we could improve and better serve the community,” she said.

But Epting said there is a group of 75 to 100 people who regularly play racquetball and handball on the courts.

And when he and other court users tried to participate in a recent YMCA board meeting, Epting said, they were forced to leave.

Epting’s letter to the board proposed three amendments to the YMCA by-laws.

The first amendment asks that all members be allowed to attend board meetings. The second proposes that the board not meet in undisclosed locations.

The third amendment asks that the YMCA not eliminate access to its facilities, including the pool, gymnasium and recreational courts, without the approval of a majority of YMCA users.

In the letter, Epting asked that the YMCA send out his proposed amendments to all members of the organization and that the board discuss them at its March 29 meeting.

Grinnan said she responded to Epting’s letter and acknowledged the amendments. She said she plans to discuss them with the rest of the board.

Orange County Commissioner Penny Rich signed the petition in support of the court’s users.

She said the YMCA is trying to shut out members by holding secret meetings.

“They are not taking their members’ values into consideration,” Rich said. “It could be any issue. It’s not only the racquetball courts — it’s that they are not being honest and open with their members about how they are doing business.”

Epting said he will continue picketing the YMCA this week in hopes of changing the board’s decision.

He said he learned to play handball 50 years ago in his gym class at UNC, and he plans on continuing with the game for many years to come.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.