READY: Your YMCA will be better
prepared for a major earthquake.
Your Downtown Berkeley YMCA is planning
a major seismic upgrade beginning this
spring to ensure that the 17,000 people
who use the Y will be even safer in the
event of a major earthquake. 

SET: Your favorite YMCA programs will
continue during construction. All your
programs will continue during the seismic
retrofit because the Y will be creating new
“swing space” for programs that will need
to be moved during construction. 

GROW: Your YMCA will expand as a
result of the seismic retrofit. When
the seismic work is completed, the
extra space created during the retrofit
will allow the YMCA to expand and add
programs that many of you have been
asking for. The end result will be a safer,
bigger, and better YMCA for our community. 
 

UPDATE

October 10, 2008 

Dear Member,

On October 13, 2008 the Downtown Berkeley YMCA will begin the last phase of our Earthquake Safety and Expansion project.
This final phase is the most important, and will have the largest impact on our facility as we begin the seismic retrofitting of our 1960s era building. In order to complete the project and maintain safety for our members, we will temporarily close all rooms in the 1960s building. These include:

On the Main Floor

• Co-ed strength training center & adjacent stretching areas

On the Second Floor

• Aerobics studio
• Cycle studio
• Second floor unisex restrooms
• Hallway to women’s locker room

On the Third and Fourth Floors

• Residence rooms

The lower level (including the pools and locker rooms) will not be affected by this phase of the project.  But, rest assured, for the duration of the project, programs will continue in locations that we are calling “swing space.”

• Click here for a map of the main floor and second floor showing where programs and equipment from the temporarily closed sections have moved and access pathways to the second floor women’s locker room.

The closed sections in the 1960s building will not only receive seismic retrofitting, but will get a facelift that matches the
look and materials from the newly renovated spaces. Modified group exercise schedules with facility maps will be available on the 17th of October. We will continue to update you on our progress through the update posters and emails. I encourage you to sign up for our Construction Update emails at www.baymca.org/grow.
Thank you for your continued patience and your support of the YMCA and our efforts to build a greener, safer, more
accessible facility for all.

For more information contact Hae Won Rhow, Associate Executive Director at 510-665-3229 or Peter Chong, Vice
President/Executive Director at 510-665-3230.

Sincerely,
Peter N. F. Chong
Vice President/Executive Director