Smith YMCA's Final Day: Here's What's Next For Briggs St.

JOLIET, IL — There were only a half dozen cars in the parking lot early Friday afternoon at the Smith YMCA. Inside, three teenagers played a game of basketball in the large gymnasium. In the fitness room, Greater Joliet Area YMCA President/CEO Jim Watts was getting in a final workout.

At 7 p.m., the doors will be locked and all the lights will be turned off for good at Smith YMCA, 1350 South Briggs St.

Joliet's east side YMCA opened in 1978. After 43 years of operating, the YMCA's board of directors announced in February that it decided to shut the building down permanently.

Smith YMCA members are being asked to use Joliet's Galowich YMCA on Houbolt Road.

Watts told Joliet Patch during Friday's interview that the YMCA will partner with Joliet's Salvation Army Community Center on Third Avenue and other community organizations to make sure that Joliet's families on the east-side continue to have access to "youth-focused programs."

"By collaborating with the Salvation Army ... we can have a great impact," Watts said. "We don't turn anybody away because of inability to pay."

The Smith YMCA membership numbers were not nearly as strong as other area YMCA's.

Smith had less than 460 members, while the Galowich YMCA has 1,200 members and the Avery YMCA in Plainfield has about 5,500 members.

What happens to Smith YMCA now?

Watts told Patch that the YMCA's board of directors is trying to sell the YMCA property on Joliet's far east side.

He said there has been tremendous interest in the property, which consists of more than 25 acres of open fields, plus the Smith YMCA building which is 28,000 square feet. During the past month, the YMCA has fielded calls about buying the property from several area non-profit groups and community organizations. The Smith YMCA includes several basketball courts, the fitness center, several offices and an indoor swimming pool.

"We want to sell the property to a non-profit," Watts said. "We've got some discussions that we're not ready to share."

Watts said he wanted Joliet area residents to know that the YMCA is not downsizing or scaling back its activities and programs despite the closure of Smith YMCA.

"We do think we have a great upside," he said. "Our mission is about building mind, spirit and body."

Watts said one of his final actions at the Smith YMCA will be to drain the indoor swimming pool before the building stays empty.

Because of liability reasons, draining the pool is a must on the to-do list, he said.

As far as the equipment in the fitness room, Watts said the plan is "to see if staff and members want to purchase it."