Dear editor,

I never got a letter from the YMCA when I made known to multiple Y staff a few years ago about the Y not being really disabled friendly. IMHO, Y should have asked for surveys from all seniors and those seniors in our community not using the Y due to cost and inconvenience and possible expanded services.    

Some seniors not as physically mobile, like me with bad knees, but not using a wheelchair find the improved Woodson YMCA layout difficult with long carpeted (not good for wheelchair travel) distances in order to get to the pool or exercise machines area. Elevator to the basement is quite small and barely fits a custodian with his work cart or one person and a senior in a wheelchair.  

High pub tables are added to front entrance area where sufficient seating should be for families and the disabled that may be waiting for drive up pickups. Being 5’6″ tall, I cannot sit at the high pub seats without assistance. These high pub tables could be a safety risk for some seniors. I have asked why is there not any wheelchairs at the Y front entrance, but I was told there is only one for the entire building. Y staff expect that members will bring in their own wheelchairs or walkers while in the building.  

There is no seated waiting area or chairs when waiting in line to check in at the front desk. IMHO, child care drop off and pickups could be done at the Third Street side entrance. Seniors using The Landing could use the Fourth Street entrance as well so to avoid all the crowding at the north entrance requiring all to enter and exit there. 

In the family bathrooms, there is one handheld shower wand in the disabled shower room but none in the other showers. I recommend one handheld shower wand in each Y woman’s shower since there are tall or short girls and women. There are handheld wands in each shower at the NCHCC warm pool. Handheld showers would also assist Y staff when cleaning the shower walls and floors daily.  

There is only one handicapped portable shower bench in the women’s showers. There are a number of seniors that are not using the YMCA Landing since they have multiple impairments and do not find this senior center inviting, affordable nor hospitable to them. I have talked with some seniors that do not have the SilverSneakers plan with their health insurance; they have applied for Y financial assistance and have been denied. If I did not have the free SilverSneakers Y membership, I would not be using the Woodson Y and I would have gone back to NCHCC warm aquatic pool.

In addition, there has not been a home site for the wood shop that was previously at the NCHCC. I inquired years ago and the YMCA director had no interest in having the wood shop at their location. I am interested in the wood shop program being available again but across the street at the former Christian Science building or expanded garage would make sense there. The large woodworkers group would love to have a permanent place to meet monthly imho.

With a large garage, home and church across the street that could accommodate seniors in a new Landing location section as well as accommodate drop offs separate from 90 percent of younger and healthier YMCA users using the north front entrance. Since there is no other senior center in our metro area, the YMCA should be working with seniors and in making these ADA accommodations since the downtown Y services are accessible by Wausau Transit, where the Weston campus is not.

Why can’t 80 percent of the surface parking in the Y lot be for senior use, with the remaining for short-term drop off? Y staff and abled body members should be able to park in the church parking lots within one to two blocks … .

I do agree that saving the 60-year-old former Christian Science church and home property is worth saving especially with a well built brick building that could be repurposed for other uses. Having another surface parking lot in downtown Wausau is not needed.

Debra Ryan of Wausau

Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.