Hampshire Regional YMCA — Local services in Northampton

----This review was written after 6 months of trying to get an answer and not even being acknowledged by the management .----

I have been coming here for almost 2 years. Everyone that I interact with at the reception has been nothing but lovely. I have one issue, which is the management of the pool. Every other YMCA I have ever been to at least publishes how many lanes are available for lap swim/team/lessons at any given time. Not this Y. I have emailed numerous times, talked to the reception more times than I can count and no one even acknowledged my emails or returned my calls. When I go to the pool because it says lap swim, and there is only one lane for lap swim with 6 people in it, it's frustrating. Lap swim is already extremely limited at this Y unless you go very early in the morning. The lack of communication is incredible. All I wanted to know was how many lanes are open to lap swim such that I don't go if the number is less than 3. That's it. I know I'm not alone in this request because there are many other members who complain about not being able to use the facilities after paying for it.

Edit: 1 year after this comment, lap swim hours are even more limited. Unfortunately, this is the only Y in this area, excluding Holyoke. Membership price is higher Holyoke, but you get less than half of lap swim time. Something that should be considered, as I mentioned to people working there. Still waiting to hear from management.

Edit2: I finally heard from a few lifeguards that it is Y policy that swim instructors get to close lanes whenever they want. This was advertised as one of the "perks" of being a Y swim instructor. I am glad that after 3 years, I was able to get to the bottom of why they do not publish the number of open lanes. If this is not true, I'm still waiting to hear from management to hear their side of the story. Some equipment has been out of order for about a month, but good news, we have a million dollar outdoor pavilion that we can use 1 month out of the year. Yay. Again, lovely people working here though, it seems to be just...

Julie the CEO just sent me an email stating that I was suspended. She stated that staff complained about me and I was making them feel unsafe. The only 2 issues was 2 female staff walked into the locker room while i was getting dressed and they did not announce themselves. I complained about it and I stated that I being a Black man had I walked into the woman's locker room I would have been arrested.

A week later a female staff yelled and told me it was time to go, which switching the lights on and off. I had 3 minutes left which I told that, she yelled in and loudly and aggressively state "Pack your stuff and go" I came out and asked who stated that. I told her that was rude and I didn't deserve to be spoken to that way. I did not yell at her, I just let her know that it was rude and wrong.

The only other issues I had was a year ago when 2 Black parents had and issues with a Y staff and the treatment of their child. They confided in me, 2 staff members were walking out the door and I asked if i could speak to them and let them know what happened and asked who should we speak too. The mother said that the lady was the one do did it. She mother expressed her feelings.

Julie called me with Mark on the phone, trying to get me to tell her that the mother was Irate, and threatening, and she stated that we were threatening to her staff. In the conversation she stated that she Worked with the MOCA program and other Black men so she has no issues working with Black people.

apparently she does because she didn't even call me about this issues or communicate with me. As far as I know the staff had no issues with me other than me speaking on women walking in on me while I was getting changed.

I brought the issue up to Mark about a week ago Today I was suspended.

Who do I go to so this is taken seriously is...

Wow so many workers at this ymca so many racist stare so much attitude not. By all staff but you could tell there are problem at this ymca and how they staff people of color to hide the facts. Wow it crazy at this ymca people don't notice what right in-front of there eyes unisex bathroom mildew rust look like inside a trailer trash trailer from 1952 for real scary small tiny both pool look like a infestation of bad management rust mildew look like haven't been clean the pool wall and floor felt slimy they having money raise to build more to what a outdated gross building that need be condemned .build new building were the playard is and basketball court is then tear down the old building they know something wrong it a breading ground for viruses in that building some many worker clean clean it it gross that why they make you read waiver in the front and gross person in front should not greet people with herpes in his face there more i would say but if they don't tear down building or start building new building after reading this then you now they dont care i going to keep updating this and visit once in a while but yeah don’t believe me go walk around check the pool and bathroom why is this place still open wow and that statue outside look like the devil with horn trowing a child into the air.

Update this place has racist hiding in the staff the good review are bull go in person everything outdated and dirty stares you get are awful if your not white you get bad service and look this place need new management new training new staff close it down for a deep clean and repairs then rehire new staff get rid of the old juju its still feels like...