PROJECT – HOT WATER ISSUES AGAIN – May 1, 2026

Just a few months after installing a new on demand hot water system to replace two aging 400 gallon traditional tanks, the hardness of Aqua Ohio water is wreaking havoc on the new system causing the heating elements to degrade way faster then anticipated. Right now, one of the two heaters keeps tripping the breaker and we’re running on one. The water is warmish, but not too comfortable on the one unit. New heating elements are being rushed to us for installation, but we don’t have a date.

UPDATE – May 11, 2026

There is still only one unit funtioning, which is not adequate. On Friday, two more elements failed on the one unit. The manufacturers rep was on site this morning working to resolve the problem. Parts are being overnighted today, but can’t be installed until Wednesday. Symptoms indicate that the installed flow meters are not sensitive enough to call for the system to heat when there is not enough hot water demand on the system. That’s what they’re evaluation presently. But there are other questions still to be answered. We’ll keep you informed here as we have updates.

UPDATE – May 8, 2026

Four elements were replaced on May 7 and the system was producing hot water. This morning, there was no water moving through the units. The manfacturer’s rep was contacted and is enroute as of 9 am this morning. We’re praying it a minor hiccup that can be easily resolved, but until he determines what the problem is, we’re without hot water again for the time being.

UPDATE – May 6, 2026

We received some bad intel on the arrival of the parts. It looks like they’re coming today, not yesterday. The manufacturer rep will be at the Y at 9 am on Thursday, May 7 to install.

UPDATE – May 5, 2026

The replacement heater elements have arrived at the manufacturer’s rep’s house today. He’ll be in tomorrow (Wednesday May 6) to install and should have additional information about how to manage the Aqua Ohio water to prevent this from recurring down the road. We’ll be ordering additional elements as backups to keep on hand.

UPDATE – May 1, 2026

To resolve the hard water issue, we’re investigating a couple options… A special filter to remove certain hard water elements or a water softener system in case the filter option isn’t an appropriate solution.

PROJECT – May 1, 2026

A new water fountain has been installed in the fitness center cardio room to replace a problematic one that would only produce a fountain 2” above the fixture. The new one works great! It still maintains the water bottle filler station in the design. Enjoy!

This spring, weather permitting, two outdoor Pickleball Courts will be constructed in the Davis Outdoor Recreation Area just east of Pavilion 3. This project has been in the works for 2 years getting all balled up in the permit process. Thanks to a generous donation from a friend of the Y, the courts will enable expanded Pickleball opportunities for an ever growing following and provide alternatives when other programming requires the gym space. Watch for constuction to begin as soon as the ground dries out a bit this spring. The project should be ready for use by mid summer.

UPDATE – May 1, 2026

We had a start date of May 4th for construction to begin, but recent rains is forcing us to postpone the start date a bit. We should be in a better position to pick a new date next week.

LAP POOL CLARITY

Water clarity in the lap pool has been an ongoing problem since the facility opened 20+ years ago. Cosmetics, lotions and body oils contribute to the less than pristine conditions. We partnered with an Aquatics Engineering firm out of Madison Wisconsin about a year ago to determine how to fix it. After thorough study, testing and calulations, it was determined that the pool design and filter flow rates were incorrect based on the capacity and expected bather load. Several recommendations were attempted to see if it made any difference, but none proved successful. While the water chemistry is perfectly fine, the only alternative to improve clarity is to replace the existing filter favoring a higher capacity and flow rate than the existing sand filter.

The filter chosen is a state of the art regenerative filter design that uses perlite instead of sand. The backwash cycle uses a fraction of the water that a typical sand filter uses. In late January, 2026, the Ohio Department of Health approved the design and production of the equipment which is expected to take 6-8 weeks. An installation date will be chose to minimize the impact to class participants, lap swimmers and swim lessons. Cost of this project is approximately $100,000. Here’s a link to learn more.

UPDATE – May 1, 2026

Due to a multitude of conflicts with programming, the install of the filter has been delayed until late August when we normally shut down the pools for repair and cleaning.

UPDATE – March 12, 2026

The new filter and related components are officially on site. In an effort to minimize the disruption for swim lessons and other activities, the installation timeframe will be after Labor Day and before Day Camp begins in early June during the time where the outdoor pool is open. We’ll announce more detailed information later this spring. This filter project will cost about $100,000 when all is said and done.

PROJECT / SHOWERS UNAVAILABLE – MEN’S LOCKER ROOM

There are about 5 showers that have been taken out of commission that border the steam room wall in the men’s locker room. When the steam room was being renovated, we discovered water seeping in from the shower side that needed to be abated before work could continue. Otherwise, the warranty for the membrane would be voided. Further evalution showed that the water was coming through the basin of the showers and seeping into the room. These showers had to be taken offline before work could continue. The same situation exists on the opposite side, but that water is seeping onto the tile floor underneath the sinks. Youngstown Tile evaluated the project and it was determined that the basins in each of the stalls need replaced. Cost for the renovation is about $55,000. YMCA Trustees approved priority one and two capital projects that includes this one. We will be scheduling the project to begin later this winter. The entire shower area will likely have to be shut down while work is progressing. Stay tuned.

UPDATE – May 1, 2026

This tiling project is nearing completion. The concrete beds have been removed and replaced, a Schulter membrane installed, drains re-worked, tile has been replaced and epoxy grout is currently being placed. The contrasting tile looks like it was designed that way from the beginning. It’s looking great! The grout will have to cure for several days before everything is ready to go, but we’re getting close.

UPDATE – March 30, 2026

On Friday, March 27, We received word that Youngstown Tile would like to start the retile work  this week. That didn’t leave much time for notification of our members, but we did the best we could in that short time. Showers in this area will be unavailable for a period of 6-8 weeks while this work is being done. Yes, the steam room will be open in case you were worried! Showers will also be available in the boys locker room during this time. The project will replace all the stained, chipped tile with fresh tile over top of a water proofing membrane that will eliminate the seepage of water into the steam room area as well as in the locker room itself under the sinks. A chemical and mechanical cleaning operation will take place on the tile under the sinks to remove the deposits that has created an unsightly appearance. When complete, this will no longer occur. Additionally, all of the shower bays will be available for use once the project is completed. Thank you for your patience!

  “Scaling and deposits will be eliminated and each basin replaced with new tile.”

UPDATE – January 27, 2026