Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA merges with Triangle branch

New equipment and membership upgrades are on the agenda for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, now that the organization has merged with the YMCA of the Triangle.

The two organizations were officially merged Monday after a year’s cooperation under a management services agreement and extensive discussion of the impact a merger would have on YMCA members and staff.

Dabney Grinnan, chairwoman of the CHCYMCA’s advisory board, said the merger will allow the board to focus on community engagement, long-term planning and fundraising, rather than day-to-day oversight and administrative management.

“We really need a board that can bring in the leaders in our community, the donors, so we can serve the town the way we want to,” she said.

“(YMCA of the Triangle is) a great organization — they have more resources than we do, more connections than we do and, frankly, more experience than we do.”

Grinnan said the CHCYMCA does not expect any job loss as a result of the merger.

Jennifer Nelson, spokeswoman for the Triangle YMCA, said the CHCYMCA will receive a facilities upgrade, and members will be able to upgrade to Triangle Y membership, which includes access to all Triangle branches.

The CHCYMCA serves all of Orange and Chatham counties, though the name suggests the facility serves only Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Grinnan said. She said the merger will help the CHCYMCA accommodate an expected surge in population in Chatham to accompany the new Chatham Park development.

“I just see (the merger) as an incredible win over time for Chatham County,” Grinnan said. “The Y is a community center, it’s an affordable exercise option, and we don’t turn people away.”

Though a merger has been in consideration for several years, differences between the two organizations’ non-discrimination policies, otherwise known as equal employment opportunity policies, were a significant roadblock.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents criticized the Triangle Y’s policy because it did not include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to the new policy, there are now protections in place.

Nelson said the organization’s policy was changed last fall, making it a non-issue. The revised policy also includes protection against discrimination based on military service and genetic information.

“Our policies evolve as our community grows and we evolve,” she said.

Grinnan said some Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents were concerned the merger would make the CHCYMCA less true to the character of the towns.

“We had to explain the process, that while we are now part of Y of the Triangle, every Y is unique to the community it serves,” she said.

The process of merging included a survey of many members and staff about their vision for the CHCYMCA, Nelson said.

“Together we can do this greater thing.”

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