North Canton YMCA reopens after pool leak closed building for six days

NORTH CANTON – The North Canton YMCA Community Building partially reopened Wednesday morning and for the time being will be open for regular hours, a YMCA spokesman said.

The facility, at 200 S. Main St., had been closed since Thursday morning when staff discovered a pool leak had damaged electrical transformers and the equipment that recirculated the pool's water. Without working transformers, the building had no electricity.

The YMCA doesn't have a damage estimate yet.

More: North Canton YMCA closed indefinitely due to pool leak, water damage

The facility's wellness and fitness center, the West Gym, the free-weights area and two locker rooms are open, said Brandon Bussey, a spokesman for the YMCA of Central Stark County.

Many classes such as Zumba, yoga and boot camp were held outside during the building's closure. Some classes will move back into the building. But some will remain outside for the time being.

But the pool remains closed indefinitely as one of its pipes gave way apparently due to years of wear and tear. And the smaller East Gym, group exercise studio, sauna, spa and steam rooms, the racquetball court, training room, Block Room, the back entrance and youth lobby remain closed indefinitely to conserve power.

An update on North Canton YMCA's website listed what was open and closed.

The closure had a major impact on member. The North Canton YMCA has between 12,000 and 14,000 members, and has between 900 and 1,300 visitors a day.

Partial restoration of power

Bussey said contractors were able to restore use of one of the building's two transformers. However, the second transformer was so damaged, it can't be repaired and will have to be replaced. It's not clear when a new transformer would arrive or the cost.

To avoid overburdening the sole working transformer and causing another shutdown of power, the staff will have to limit electrical usage in the building. They only turned on the boilers after ensuring the working transformer could handle a limited restoration of power. After not having hot water on opening Thursday morning, the hot water was working by lunchtime.

Regular hours remain 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Childcare for those ages 6 and younger are expected to resume this evening. The hours are 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 7:45 a.m. to noon Monday to Saturday.

Bussey said the pool undergoes two inspections a year that involve the Stark County Health Department to ensure it's safe to use. But the pipe issue would have been difficult to detect.

Bussey added that the annual North Canton YMCA five-mile race on the Fourth of July will take place as scheduled. Packet and race bib pickup will still be in the Community Building's large gymnasium 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton YMCA partially reopens after pool leak