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 White Plains, NY - The White Plains Family YMCA recently completed $2.4-million in capital improvements that are expected to save the charity at least $330,000 a year in energy costs – or more than $6.8 million over a 20-year period.
The YMCA installed computer-controlled boilers, air-conditioning equipment and chillers that are much more efficient than its old equipment, leading to dramatic drops in energy consumption. The improvements resulted in more consistent air and water temperatures throughout the YMCA’s flagship building at 250 Mamaroneck Avenue in downtown White Plains, as well as lower humidity that make the building more comfortable. Lighting also has been improved, with modern, high-efficiency lamps that provide more light at a fraction of the cost of traditional light bulbs.
“We expect to save at least $330,000 during the coming year because of the new, high-efficiency equipment we’ve installed – and possibly much more, especially if energy costs keep rising,” said Helene Mogridge, director of the White Plains Family YMCA. “Just as importantly, we’ve cut our carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of the pollution caused by 57 automobiles, which is important in an urban area like White Plains. We’ve been joking about how the YMCA has blue pools in a green building.”
The cost savings have been dramatic. The introduction of a modern, high-efficiency furnace using gas (which is less expensive than heating oil) has resulted in the biggest savings, cutting the YMCA’s heating and hot-water costs by nearly 90 percent to currently about $8,000 a month from $68,000 a month. Electricity bills were slashed more than 50 percent to $17,000 a month from $36,000.
“This is a tremendous savings that will help us keep membership fees affordable and let us continue providing valuable services to the community such as day care, after-school activities and affordable housing,” said Mogridge. “We started planning for these improvements several years ago, and in light of today’s soaring energy costs our decision to invest in the future appears timely and prudent.”
The year-long capital-improvement program also included a wide variety of improvements to the YMCA’s facilities and exercise equipment. The upgrades included:
* Converting the Y’s little-used “small gymnasium” into an exercise room with new, state-of-the-art Strive Smart weight-training machinery and cardio equipment such as treadmills and elliptical machines. (The “large gym” and running track are still open.);
* Creating dedicated rooms for free weights and stretching equipment adjoining the main exercise room;
* Installing a cycling studio with more than a dozen cycles and open space for classes such as yoga and Pilates in the old weight room;
* Building a new, larger men’s locker room with better facilities and a location closer to the YMCA’s main pool.
The White Plains YMCA has two pools, including a “warm pool” (one of the few in the region outside a hospital) that is perfect for rehabilitation exercises or “aquacise” classes for seniors. The main, 25-meter pool is heated to a lower level that is suitable for lap swimming and competitive meets. The YMCA also has three racquetball courts and one squash court and a dance/exercise studio, giving it one of the most complete lineups of exercise facilities in the tri-state area.
“The renovations we just completed gave us an opportunity to re-evaluate how space in our building was used,” said Mogridge, “and we were able to create much larger, more comfortable and better-equipped exercise facilities as a result. You could almost argue that the energy savings made possible by the new equipment let us upgrade our exercise facilities.”
A creative financing and guarantee agreement involving the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency and Honeywell Building Solutions (the project’s main engineering and construction manager) made the investments a no-lose situation, Mogridge said.
The YMCA used a combination of government-issued loans and guarantees from Honeywell to create a $2.4-million financing plan ensuring that the improvements would “pay for themselves” in lower energy costs or rebates. The Development Agency provided favorable financing. Honeywell guaranteed that the YMCA’s energy costs would be reduced enough to offset the loan payments. Honeywell accepted the challenge, and early results indicate that the new systems have resulted in savings that vastly exceed the cost of the loan.
“It has worked out very well for the YMCA and Honeywell,” said Mogridge. “Using the loan was a prudent way to plan for the needs of the future while keeping our fees affordable for the nearly 4,000 people who use the YMCA and its programs. The equipment should be in use for well over 20 years, so the loan makes perfect sense. It is a ‘pay as you go’ approach.”
This kind of fiscal prudence is customary at The YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, the White Plains YMCA’s parent organization. The YMCA has received the top charitable organizational standards rating from the New York State Better Business Bureau for meeting the BBB’s extremely rigorous Standards for Charitable Accountability. The YMCA provides $300,000 in financial subsidies each year to ensure that all people can benefit from its services, regardless of their ability to pay.
The YMCA, which operates facilities throughout Westchester and Camp Combe in Putnam Valley, also tries to be a responsible environmental steward, and Mogridge said the capital improvements to improve energy efficiency will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by its flagship facility at 250 Mamaroneck Avenue by 1,292 tons a year.
“This is just a small step, but anything that helps reduce pollution today and lowers the risk of global warming in the future is worth considering,” said Mogridge. “We think it’s important for organizations like the YMCA to lead the way and demonstrate how we all can be responsible stewards of the environment.”
The reduction in energy costs has been so dramatic that the White Plains YMCA’s renovations have attracted attention from other YMCA operators and the American Institute of Architects.
Modernizing the White Plains YMCA’s heating and cooling equipment was a challenge because parts of the building date to the 1930s and the organization’s normal operations (including providing housing for 167 men and day care and after-school activities for scores of children) could not be interrupted. This required an intricate ballet where equipment was dismantled, removed and quickly replaced with new machinery. The project’s success has drawn attention from other YMCA operators facing similar renovations and the AIA, the nation’s largest architectural trade group, is considering creating a continuing-education class using the renovations as a case study.
“Renovating old buildings like the YMCA’s, parts of which date back to the 1920s, is a challenge, so the success we’ve had is attracting lots of attention,” said Mogridge. “The savings from installing new heating and cooling equipment can be significant, and we’re pleased to show people how it can be done.”
ABOUT THE YMCA OF CENTRAL & NORTHERN WESTCHESTER: Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester has a long history of being an important community resource. The YMCA is dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone through programs and services that stress personal growth, self-improvement, self-reliance and service to others through spiritual, mental and physical development. The YMCA is one of Westchester’s largest childcare providers, serving 1,200 children who are able to build skills, values, self-esteem and a lifelong love of learning in a safe, nurturing, developmentally oriented environment. A similar number of children attend the YMCA’s summer camps. Health and wellness programs and well-equipped fitness centers and pools serve people of all ages.
The YMCA also provides safe, clean housing for 200 men who otherwise might not be able to afford homes in Westchester County. The YMCA has received the top charitable organizational standards rating from the New York State Better Business Bureau for meeting the BBB’s extremely rigorous Standards for Charitable Accountability. The YMCA provides $300,000 in annual financial subsidies to ensure that all people can benefit from its services. The YMCA of CNW has facilities in Mount Vernon, NY; the Northern Westchester Community program, based in Somers, NY, and Camp Combe, a summer camp for children in Putnam Valley, NY, in addition to its flagship center in White Plains.
More information about the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, including addresses, hours and activities listings, is available at its website www.ymca-cnw.org or by calling (914) 287-2021.
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