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Gateway YWCA To Permanently Close Pool

The Gateway YWCA housed one of the largest aquatic centers in Forsyth County. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The Gateway YWCA in Winston-Salem is permanently closing its aquatic center.

It hasn't been open since last August, when a storm brought heavy rain and flooded the pool area. A lot of the equipment was damaged. The cost to reopen it is more than half a million dollars.

The nonprofit has been trying to find a sponsor to help pay for the repairs.

But the cost to maintain the pool area was also factor in the decision. It's more than $360,000 a year to operate.

Local resident Barbara Leak has been going to the YWCA for years and says there aren't a lot of places like this in the city.

“I wish it wouldn't close because I was also bringing my grandchildren here and this is where they learned how to swim,” says Leak. “And even though I have a pool, I can't swim, so this was going to be my time to learn how to swim. So, it's sad.”

The Gateway YWCA says it will hold two town hall meetings in June to answer any questions from the community and discuss potential plans for the space. The first one is on June 5 and the second one is scheduled for June 11. Both meetings will take place at 11 a.m. at the facility located at 1300 S. Main Street.

 

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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