“Some time around 11:30 we heard a loud pop and it sounded like it came from the roof,” Waldsmith said.
Workers were unaware of what had occurred initially, but noticed water spilling down the walls later that afternoon. YMCA board members and some staff spent a long day trying to organize repairs, but ended up only closing the facility for one day.
It may have been easier to shut down entirely until the damage was repaired, Waldsmith said. But instead YMCA staff and board members decided to do the work in sections because the facility is important to many community members.
“The Y is a community resource,” Waldsmith said. “Everyone from the insurance company to the general contractor and the staff helped keep it open. It was a nice collaborative process.”
Brenda Horsley, of Urbana, who has been a member of the facility since 2006, remembers trying to visit the day the damage occurred. She said she was pleased with the renovations.
“They wouldn’t let me in the building because it was flooded,” Horsley said.
The process was sometimes a challenge for community members, who had to be directed around the construction that was occurring inside, Waldsmith said. But he said community members were gracious despite the challenge.
“The reaction from our members has been very positive,” Waldsmith said.
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